The Stalker's Log
by Traingham
Summary: An epic of love and espionage. Read on as Fujin scales walls, dons disguises, fights off fan girls, and kills witnesses just to corner -ahem- win her beloved. Lose yourself in the action, the suspense, and the passion. Hey, who said love was easy?
1. Communication

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters...

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

**_Chapter One: The Conversation that broke the Seal _**

_By Traingham_

* * *

Balamb Garden, a military academy located on the small island of Balamb was accredited for quite a few things. It was a very exceptional academy in the nature of their training and educational standards, but that was not the only reason for being so recognized among all of the other gardens in the world. Of course one would also have to take into consideration that the two only other gardens that could compete with it weren't exactly in the condition to function. Trabia had been demolished in the midst of an aggressive expansion that had been taken into action by the Galbadian army under the orders of Sorceress Edea and Galbadia Garden, a military academy that had been far superior to Balamb at the time of its function was, ironically enough, bested by it in a battle of epic proportions that rocked what was left of the Centra continent. Getting back to Balamb, it was also quite famous for giving rise to the very heroes that saved the universe from time compression, which would have been very unpleasant, needless to say. Of those heroes, one of them was the most recognized for their valiant efforts and that young man was none other than, Squall Leonhart.

He was popular in the garden despite his rather cold nature, and moody disposition. He was even quite popular with the ladies much to the dismay of other young men within the garden who believed that they had a lot to offer in the areas that that black clad gentleman clearly lacked, and while it wasn't too much...it mattered. He really had little patience for silliness, or anything else that disturbed him from his own agendas and he wasn't exactly mister sensitivity. His tendency to brush off others if they really had nothing 'important' to tell him was something that could hurt feelings as well and yet he was still pursued by those who were unwilling to take a hint, and then there was the facial expression that he always had on his face. It was very rare to get anything other than a frown or stoic look from the young Commander. There were rumors that it was so hard to find him smiling because if he did your mind would be completely blown, thus the memory would have been lost along with the rest of any comprehensible thoughts that may have been occupying the brain at that exact moment. That rumor, however, was disproved when a certain young woman by the name of Rinoa Heartily stepped into the picture that others were sure couldn't be squeezed into, or found for that matter. Squall couldn't be found in any class pictures mainly because he either wouldn't show up to them or he was really busy in important matters at the time, and any casual pictures from social events were pretty much taken by stalkers since they were the only ones bold enough to take them...from a distance, of course.

Squall Leonhart, though observant and capable of seeing things that others would normally overlook, had no idea that he had any. I'm pointing this out for a reason by the way...

* * *

_Squall Leonhart...the name leaves shivers through my entire body, and perhaps my very soul. It belongs to the man that I admire, and long for, however, my position limits me from making this common knowledge to him. Well, perhaps that really isn't true anymore due to the current circumstance, but I feel that my habits of handling these feelings have become so part of my nature that I find it hard to express them in any other way. I'm working hard to change that, but for now I will follow my old methods until I can rid myself of them. In the past I was able to come face to face with him on many occasions, but now even that has been stolen away from me by my own cowardice. I've found that it has gradually become something else over time though. Watching Ms. Heartily prance around him, and force her care-free ways upon him has been a daily experience that eats away at me slowly but surely. Even so I still watch from afar, observing him as he goes along with the motions of living, enjoying the little things he does that drew me to him in the first place. I feel no shame in doing so for it is our secret bond...or rather my secret bond to him. Even now I search for the courage to change that._

_- Stalker's Log, September 15th-_

**_--_**

The cafeteria of Balamb Garden was the hang out spot for many of the students, second only to the Quad of the garden. Here many of the students rushed to get in line for the coveted hot dogs that the lunch ladies were a bit unsure about since all they really did was defrost them. They figured it was just all do to the ravings of one student to another, but anyway, it was also the one place that many practitioners of the art of stalking could simply pull back a seat and watch Squall Leonhart mingle with his closest friends, and...Rinoa...but that wasn't really something most of them appreciated for obvious reasons. Some of the students cleared the way for the commander and his posse of friends, that being Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, Nida, Rinoa, and on rare occasions, even Xu. He wasn't really sure why they always did that every time he walked into the cafe, but he really wished they would refrain from it. He didn't care for any special treatments or anything of the sort. It was just kind of weird from his point of view.

"I'm loving this." Zell spoke, rubbing his hands together at the thought of holding one of the hot dogs that he craved almost every passing moment of his young life. "Squall walks in, and everyone parts like the red sea!" The energetic martial artist placed a hand on Squall's shoulder and grinned at him with tears brimming in his eyes. "I never want anything to come between our friendship, man."

Squall directed his usual cool gaze at his friend and replied, "Calm down Zell." He turned his attention away from him when he felt two small arms wrap around his right arm as though they were trying to take him captive, which was true in a sense when associating the gesture with the young woman was clung to him tightly. The lion did his best not to sigh when he saw Rinoa look up at him with her usual mischievous grin.

"Well, you gotta admit that this sort of thing is pretty awesome." She told him, nuzzling the leather of his jacket. "I feel kind of guilty for abusing it though."

"Guilty pleasures are those we should savor most." Irvine commented with a lady killer smirk. He attempted to wrap his arm around Selphie's waist, but she pinched his gloved hand before it could reach it's mark. "Aw, c'mon Sephie! They're doing it!"

"Uh, so?" Selphie discouraged the man with her response. "Try that on someone else, cowboy." Her words got a daring look from the young man before he set his sights on the bespectacled instructor walking beside him. If Selphie wasn't willing to play along in his game, then he was more than willing to turn to the lovely instructor for some good fun. Quistis was, after all, the most sought after woman in the garden. She had her own fan club to prove it, though she hardly needed to do such a thing. There was an off limits condition about her, however. It ran strong before Squall met with the resistance leader of the Timber Owls, and it still lingered even now. The blonde woman still held a flame for the lone wolf in hopes that he would eventually tire of the _cute _and _cuddly_, Rinoa Heartily.

_Cuddly?_ Quistis thought to herself, stealing a glance at Rinoa before stroking her chin thoughtfully. _So Squall likes them cuddly, huh? Well, just give me the opportunity to show you cuddly, commander Leonhart._ She inwardly chuckled before she realized that a gloved hand was snaking around for her waist. Irvine watched as her glasses gleamed dangerously, and he wisely pulled back his hand. She was gorgeous, but she came with a deadly edge as well.

"Hm?" Squall suddenly felt a tingle at his neck as though something was alerting him of a presence. He looked to his left, finding an overwhelming mass of clamoring students before looking in the other direction to spot Rajiin and Fujiin leaning against the wall with their arms crossed. Seifer had disbanded from them to start his own travels of the world. He promised Squall that he would return some day and become a SeeD, but not until he truly understood himself and what he would be aiming for. He, of course, said this in his usual cocky manner, but Squall understood that his rival was beginning to wander a new path. He wanted to put his past with the sorceress behind him, but in order to do that he had to distance himself from those who he betrayed in the process. It was understandable.

_I wonder how those two are taking it._ He thought to himself, watching the two disciplinary members intently. It wasn't until he turned away from Rajiin that he realized that the silver-haired beauty beside him had her crimson orb transfixed upon him. It was slightly unnerving at first, but he boldly kept his eyes locked with her own until she finally crossed her arms and turned her head to the side. Squall wasn't sure why, but he felt as though he had just earned himself a victory until-

"Hey." He looked down to Rinoa to see a displeased expression gracing her lovely features. "What was that about?"

"I'm not sure." He answered her truthfully.

"She looked like she felt it was something." The young woman quipped, loosening her vice grip on his arm much to his relief. "Hm, I wonder what she's thinking sometimes. Do you think she's still holding a grudge against you for what happened between you and Seifer?"

"Whatever." Squall tried to end the matter on the subject.

"Oh, come on Squall!" Rinoa groaned. "Can't you hold at least one conversation about the guy without brushing me off to the side. It's kind of disheartening after a while, ya know?"

"Ooh, lover's quarrel." Zell joked before feeling a rough nudge at his side. He looked to find Selphie narrowing her eyes at him viciously, and he eased off.

"Why isn't your girlfriend with you?" She asked, attempting to put him on the spot.

"Busy at the library." Zell answered her quickly.

"Then take her lunch, too." Selphie tugged him near her by the collar with a scowl. "Got it?"

"I don't like you anymore."

* * *

"Training season starts today." Quistis alerted Squall before she popped a small fry into her mouth, allowing some of the onlooking male students to let go of the breaths they were holding. "Our schedules are gonna get hectic again."

"Hm." Squall hummed, taking a drink from his cup. "I'm actually thankful for it."

"Workaholic." Rinoa teased her boyfriend, resting her cheek in her hand and picking a fry from her plate before munching on it. "I guess it's better than you being locked up in your office though. I'm sure it gets boring in there."

"It's quiet."

"You trying to say something?" She asked him with a sweet smile although he was sure that her words held a different nature behind them. The others at the table snickered, most of all Quistis. After things finally settled down after the world incident with Ultimecia, Squall mostly spent his time in his office writing up reports and viewing the SeeD entries that had been piling up from all the hopefuls. Quistits would usually come in and _disturb_ him to lighten things up for him since Rinoa was stuck in Deiling City for most of the following months trying to settle the living arrangements with her father. After a few talks, she managed to convince him to take up the position of an instructor. It would allow him to become more involved with the SeeD training agendas, and Headmaster Cid expressed an interest in more gunblade specialists. That being the way it was, Squall found that refusing the position wouldn't be a choice he could make.

"It's easier to work in silence, is all I'm saying." Squall answered her fearlessly before he felt her teeth close around the side of his arm. "Ow!"

"You asked for it." Rinoa mumbled before turning to Irvine when she heard him shift in his seat loudly. He looked to the commander and offered him a lopsided grin before saying, "You know, there's a bunch of guys in this cafeteria that would kill to be bitten by her. You're a privileged man."

"Eww." said girl leaned away from him in disgust. "Cut it out Irvine. This is exactly why things aren't working out for you and Selphie anymore."

"H-Hey!" Selphie interjected quickly. "You keep me out of this!" While this stirred amongst the three others, Quistis turned to Squall, tapping him on the shoulder lightly.

"Hm?" Squall acknowledged her, setting down his plastic fork.

"I've been looking over to Rajiin and Fujiin while you guys were messing around...and I think she really still has some sort of grudge on you." The instructor informed him, trying her best to seem as if she was talking about the quiet woman since she still had her eyes directed at Squall. "She's been looking over here for a while since we sat down."

Squall sighed, wiping his mouth and replied, "Are you serious? I saw her glaring at me earlier, but I figured it wasn't that serious." He looked to Fujiin, finding that she was still looking his way, and for a moment he felt cold shivers run up his back. There was something about the way she looked at him that made him feel a little unsafe. He couldn't detect any anger or ill intentions behind the window of her soul, but that's what made it so unsettling. _Maybe I should have a talk with her. She isn't really a person of many words, but I guess that will make this much easier._

"Are you thinking of talking with her?" Quistis whispered, leaning over to him closely. He eyes glanced over to Rinoa for a moment to see if she was looking their way to find that she was still caught up in her conversation with Irvine and Selphie. Zell was eating lunch with the library girl so there was no one to see the bold step she had taken in getting so close to the commander. Squall was either so focused on the silver-haired woman that he paid no mind to how one of her platinum bangs brushed against his ear lightly, or he simply trust his friend enough to no try anything risky while his girlfriend was nearby. That was until-

"What?" Squall turned to Quistis after hearing her voice to find her bang tickling his nose. He leaned back slightly to put a little distance between their faces, and asked, "What were you saying." He seemed to brush it off much to the female instructor's disappointment. It was hard to get a blush out of him unless you were Rinoa Heartily.

_This is depressing._ Her eyes dulled somewhat, but she answered his question. "I asked if you were thinking of talking with her."

"It might be the only way to put any grudges she might have to rest."

"Ah, good!" Quistis exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with life again. By the looks of things, Squall wasn't sure if he would come to appreciate where this might have been heading. Just as it was rare to see him smile, finding Quistis in such a cheery mood was just as difficult. Sometimes he wondered if it was an honor that he was one of the few people in the world who could bring it out of her.

"...What's going on?" The commander growled softly.

* * *

_**--**_

_**Hours later at The Training Center...**_

_**--**_

* * *

Xu, the highest ranking SeeD and instructor of the garden was a mysterious woman. Not much was known about her except for her involvement in almost every garden operation that involved military action. If it was an operation on Dollet, she was there to direct the SeeDs through the war torn city. If there was a revolt between the headmaster and the garden master, she was there to ensure that the headmaster was safe and that no traitors would reach him. If there were missiles heading to destroy the garden, she was there to ensure that all safety measures were taken for the safety of all students. Not even time compression was enough to keep her from being present for the final showdown, even if she killed most of her time playing cards on the Ragnorok. Not much was known about her personality or her likes and dislikes. Most who had the chance to train under her simply saw her as a tough instructor. She was just as much of an enigma to the students of Balamb as Squall and Seifer were. Sure, she was supposedly close friends with Quistis, but you could only see them together on rare occasions.

"Quistis," Xu called to her long time friend, watching the blonde instructor walk into the training center with Squall following not far behind her. "I see that you managed to bring out our grumpy commander. I honestly didn't expect him to accept the position."

"I wasn't offered much of a choice." Squall responded to her words, stopping in front of her with a hand on his hip. "Cid finds ways around the word _'no'_ when he feels it will benefit others."

"I know." Xu stifled a giggle. "It's great to see that you're part of the team though."

"Yeah." Quistis agreed with a nod, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Your presence is bound to keep the trainees in line. Everyone is either a fan or afraid of you."

"I don't blame them." Xu poked fun at the commander. "With a face like that I'd be intimidated too."

"Are we here to talk or to work?" Squall finally decided to put an end to their fun. _If they just wanted to me to join them for fun then I have other places to spend my time. _He blinked when he noticed the curious expressions on both woman's faces. "What?"

"You just seemed to be in deep thought again." Quistist answered him. "You get this certain look on your face whenever you do that. Contrary to what Rinny says sometimes, I think it's kind of adorable."

"He reminds me of a kitten when he does that." Xu grinned.

**_"Whatever..."_** The three of them said in unison, much to Squall's annoyance. He regarded both women silently for a moment before walking ahead of them to meet the new trainees. Quistis and Xu watched him walk away before sharing a high five.

"Easy." Xu laughed.

"Sometimes he could be..." Quistis replied.

Upon seeing Squall cross the bridge that separated the training facility from the entrance the SeeD candidates all straightened up. There were at least twenty of them today. After weeding out those who would have a chance, the other instructors would take over the next group tomorrow, and so on until they would finally separate them into their squads. It was a similar system to how Squall and the others had gone through before they became actual SeeDs. After they did their studies the examination test would come and he would have to take them out to gain their first Guardian Force through battle. Afterward they would send them out on their first mission to grade them on their performance. While it wouldn't be nearly as involving with the flow of history as Dollet's war had been, it would be challenging, sure enough.

_"Commander."_ They all addressed his presence respectfully.

"From today I will be an instructor to some of you." He ignored some of the excited squeals from the girls in the group. There were some groans from the males in the group as well. They were informed that Xu and Quistis would take care of the first entry of candidates. Squall's presence would ruin the fun they all so foolishly believed was ahead of them. Clearly they were unaware of just how strict and cruel both women could be when they were busy in their duties. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that only a few of you will be selected from the group based on your abilities to cooperate as a team, and follow orders properly. You will also be paired as dueling partners. This won't necessarily mean that your acceptance will be determined upon who is victorious in these dueling session, but we want to see how well you really are in your combat specialties."

"Not bad, commander." He heard Xu whisper from beside him. "Your future as an instructor looks promising."

"Stop calling me that already." Squall told her. "I have a name."

"I'll take it from here, Squall." Xu chuckled before the grin on her face dropped as she turned to face the trainees. "Alright," The tone of her voice was all business now as she approached the group with a stern expression that would have gripped any student's heart with fear. "I'm going to make this first step simple for all of you, so listen up! We're going to divide you all into five groups so start counting off right now. When you're done, get into formation, got that?!"

_**"Yes, instructor Xu!"**_ All of the trainees complied.

"Who are the other two instructors today?" Squall asked Quistis, watching from afar as Xu took control of the candidates.

"Nida, and Zell." Quistis replied, stifling a laugh at the way Squall's expression shifted at the sound of the martial artist's name.

"Zell?" Squall crossed his arms skeptically. "Zell Dincht?"

"That's right." She nodded, crossing her arms in a similar manner. "Why don't you sound so sure about this decision?"

"Zell seems kind of..."

"Unqualified?"

"Not the word I was looking for." Squall replied, furrowing his brow. "He led the others through the attack on Esthar pretty well. It's just-"

"He loses his temper easily, correct?" Quistis went ahead of him again.

"Yeah."

"Well, it was the headmaster's decision." She told him, placing her hands on her hips. "He felt that Zell would be perfect for the program since he could relate to the trainees better than the rest of us. He also said it would help in building more character and morale. Ms. Dincht was thrilled after hearing about it, and you know how much Zell takes pride in impressing his mother."

"Thrilled, huh?" Squall raised an eyebrow slightly. As much as he didn't feel comfortable about the whole situation with Zell, he had a soft spot for Ms. Dincht. She was a big help during the martial law operation in the town of Balamb after all. "It's none of my business anyway."

"I knew you'd see it our way." Quistis gave him a little clap, confusing him before she cheered, "Congratulations, you held a conversation."

Squall gave her a little smirk before looking to the jittered trainees. When Xu was done dividing them into their squads she walked back to join him and Quistis with a satisfied grin on her face. "These guys break easily, huh? The last ones from the year before actually posed a challenge." She looked to the bridge leading from the entrance of the training center before looking back at them. "So where's Zell and Nida?"

"Don't know." Squall answered.

"Then I guess we'll have to start on our squads without them." Quistis suggested.

"And who am I assigned to?"

"First squad, of course." Xu chirped, gesturing to the four students lined up in single file near the lake. Squall nodded and headed off to them, leaving the two women to watch him handle his business.

"I remember when him and Seifer were standing there, side by side." Quistis chuckled, covering her mouth to keep her amusement from being too noticeable.

"They were fierce then, huh?" Xu remarked.

"Two fighting tigers, one would say."

"Something like that." Xu agreed with her friend, crossing her arms as she cocked her head to the side. "Those scars will never go away."

"Yeah...but for some reason Squall looks more attractive with his scar." Quistis commented with a light blush. "He looked a bit plain before that."

"You think so, too?"

"We're here!" Both women turned to the bridge to find Nida and Zell jogging up to them. To see Zell in his instructing uniform was an odd sight, but it was somewhat welcoming. It was way more acceptable than the bummy clothes he usually sported when he wasn't intending to leave the garden for anything. "He left his uniform with his girlfriend. Can you believe that?" Nida shook his head, jabbing a thumb at the martial artist.

"She told me that she would take better care of it than I would." Zell did more to add to the hurt than defend himself.

"I wouldn't be surprised to hear that." Quistis mumbled with a frown.

"I,uh, heard that." Zell told her, holding up a finger.

"Good." The blonde instructor said dully.

_Let me see here._ Squall thought to himself, walking down the line of four students before finding a person at the end that he never expected to see. She stood there in her usual style of attire. That being a blue button up shirt made in an oriental style, with black slacks. Her silver hair was a little longer than before now that he was able to get a better look at her, and the usual eye patch covered her right eye. Sometimes he found himself wondering what happened to her.

_Does she really have an eye missing? _Squall stopped beside Fujiin, finding himself locking his eyes with her like the last time they had seen each other. This was happening a lot now that he thought about it. "So you want to become a SeeD now?"

Fujiin didn't answer his question immediately, simply blinking before answering, _"YES."_ Of course, she didn't say this very loud as the text seems to imply, but it always appeared that way for some reason. Were there boxes appearing over their heads as they spoke, you might be asking right now. Well, for the sake of originality, yes.

Squall crossed his arms, regarding her intensely. "Why?"

_"REASON NEEDED?"_

"...Yeah." _Well, I don't think so...but I'd like to hear one since it's you._

_"WANT TO."_

The instructor turned away from her for a moment to massaged his left temple before turning back to her, saying, "I've heard you speak normally before, Fujiin."

_"YES."_

"So why do you continue to speak like that?"

_"BOTHERS YOU?"_

Squall widened his eyes slightly at her question. Did it bother him? It honestly didn't, but for some reason he just felt it would be a nice change of pace to listen to a few sentences come out of her mouth rather than what she usually offered, and it wasn't much. "Not really."

_"WHAT REASON THEN?"_ She caught him off guard when she cocked her head to the side. Her husky voice accompanied by the way she looked with her head tilted to the side so innocently made the commander feel rather odd just for looking at her. It was something different from what he was used to.

"I suppose it would be nice." He answered her. _Nice...I don't think I've ever spoken like this to someone before. This is an awkward conversation now that I stop to think about it. Why am I having it with her anyway? _He glanced over to where Quistis and Xu were last to find that they had gone to their squads already. _Well at least Quistist isn't watching me do this._ But on the contrary, for the dear instructor was watching his from afar much to the dismay of the male students in her squad. It hurt their pride to see that their instructor was much more focused on someone other than themselves. The fact that it was the infamous commander made that all the more harder for them.

_"Nice?"_ Squall was surprised to find that the text came out normally. _"I never looked at it that way."_ Fujiin went on with a thoughtful look on her face. She stared at him with a curious expression, stroking her chin. _"I saw it as simply being more efficient. It allowed me to get to the point with less words."_

"...I suppose that works." Squall stroked the side of his arm subconsciously. "So...getting back to my first question. Why do you want to become a SeeD now? You didn't show much of an interest in it before, even when Seifer attempted to become one." He inwardly felt guilty for throwing in his rival's name, but he wanted to see what kind of reaction he would get from her. It would help him get a little insight on how she felt about the friction between them.

_"THINGS DIFFERENT NOW."_

_Huh? She just went back to-_ Squall's train of thought was thrown off when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

"Hey," He turned to find Quistis behind him, her glasses gleaming in the light. "I forgot to tell you, but you need to assign a squad leader."

"Right." Squall nodded before his fellow instructor looked over his shoulder to regard Fujiin.

"Oh, didn't see you there." Quistis said, a hint of emotion in her voice that caught Squall off guard. "I was wondering where you were since Rajiin ended up in my squad. Well, what a surprise."

_Fujiin offered her no response..._

"Ah-huh." Quistis mused, nodding her head slowly before looking to Squall again. "Just wanted to tell you." With that, she returned to her squad.

Squall turned back to face Fujiin to find her eye narrowed slightly. "I suppose I'll assign the position to you then." His words got her attention, seemingly surprising her. He saw her reaction and blinked. He wasn't expecting her to react that way. "Something bothering you?"

_"Why are you choosing me?"_ She asked.

_...She's talking normally again. I wonder what's up. _"You handled Galbadian soldiers pretty well in the past. You'd be the best choice."

_"I see."_ For some reason her response sounded a bit cold. He wondered if he struck a chord with her, bringing up the past like that.

"Did I say something wrong?"

_"I'd prefer that you did not base your decisions on me about the past anymore. That is behind us."_

"Fine." Squall told her with a nod before she did something else unexpected.

Fujiin smiled at him brilliantly, crinkling her eye slightly to express her joy, and softly said, _"Thank you."_

At that moment Squall wasn't sure what just happened, but he could tell that he might have just triggered something. The feeling he was left with as Xu had them all dismissed left a lingering disturbance.

...That was new...

* * *

**_--_**

_Today I have taken my first step forward..._

_- Stalker's Log, September 15th-_

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

_Expect things to get a little odd from here...  
_


	2. Progress

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters...

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

**_Chapter Two: Didn't Quite Notice it Before But..._**

_By Traingham_

* * *

The first phase of getting acquainted with the trainees went pretty smoothly according to Squall, if not just a little awkward due to the conversation he had with Fujiin. What was it about an enemy from the past that made it so much easier to talk with them despite the obvious friction a person once had with them? Talking with the enigmatic woman was surprisingly easy now that he thought about it. In fact it felt so comfortable that he had completely forgotten why he wanted to speak with her in the first place, although now it seemed that he really didn't need to linger on that subject anymore. She clearly didn't show any animosity towards him when they spoke with each other earlier so she couldn't have possibly had a grudge with him, right? To make things even more bizarre, she smiled at him. That was something he wasn't prepared for. It stunned him to say the least even though years of experience allowed him to make it unnoticeable to her, and to top things off, she was now the squad leader of the trainees he was in charge of instructing. That was, of course, his fault, but it didn't come clear to him until after the orientation was done with, that he would be spending quite a bit of time with her in the near future.

_Is there a reason that knowing that bothers me?_ The commander thought to himself as he walked out of the training center with Quistis and Xu tagging along beside him. Nida and Zell pretty much made their exit fairly quickly after the dismissal of the candidates. They must have had a tight schedule although Squall wasn't sure what could possibly be so pressing in Zell's schedule. Nida was a piloting instructor on top of being an instructor for SeeD candidates so he had an excuse.

_Do I really have anything to look forward to later?_ Squall pondered, a look of concentration appearing on his facial features as he walked on. An image of Rinoa came to mind, but she didn't make any plans clear to him so he didn't have much to worry about on that subject. "I suppose I'm free." He made the mistake of saying that out loud for the other two women to hear.

"You don't say." Xu said with a leer.

"So Squall is a freebie for the rest of the afternoon, eh?" Quistis chimed, adjusting her glasses with a smirk. "So no plans with Rinny then?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked, turning to them with a look of disturbance.

"Ah, the commander can't even tell when he's thinking out loud." Xu exclaimed, clasping both of her hands together in a mocking gesture. "I'd say that's pretty dangerous."

"I agree." Quistis played along with her friend. "You never know who is listening."

"Like two thirsty women." Xu went on.

"Waiting for a friend to take them out." Quistis hinted, narrowing her eyes at Squall in a playful manner. They both looked to him hopefully as he continued to stare at them, oblivious to what may have been ahead of him as he continued to walk. It remained like that for a while as he inwardly expected his two fellow instructors to give up, but they proved to be quite persistent with their hopes.

_...I guess it wouldn't hurt. Rinoa is probably somewhere with Selphie, and the rest of her friends anyway._ Squall finally blinked and answered, "Where to?"

"Oh, he's so nice." Quistis teased him, looking to Xu cheerfully.

"I'd be too, with his salary." Xu chuckled with a hint of sarcasm. And so the three instructors headed for the parking lot to get a ride in Squall's car, which Rinoa preferred to have been a champagne colored _'2015 Siren CTS'_, however, since this is Mr. Leonhart we are talking about it ended up as a black, _2017_ _Cerberus SRT8._ Built strong to take you to the gates of hell and back. That's their guarantee. While they did proceed to their destination, eager to see just how wild of a driver the commander could be when properly persuaded, they were unaware of the lone onlooker from afar. She'd been watching them for a while now since they started such talk of taking the commander out, and it looked like she would be going somewhere tonight after all.

"Hey, uh, Fujiin. Been lookin' all over for ya, ya know?" Rajiin jogged up to his partner from behind as she stood behind the sign that directed students to the library. He wasn't sure what she had been peering at from behind it, but she'd been doing a lot of peculiar things lately so he didn't think of questioning it. Most awkward questions lead to a kick to the shin anyway and he was fairly sure that enough from her would send him to the emergency room. Getting up from bed this morning kind of made that clear for him.

_"WHAT?"_ Fujiin turned to face him casually, hiding her hands behind her back suspiciously.

"Shaunty is having a little get together at his dorm with some friends, ya know?" Rajiin began, cautiously attempting to lean over to the side, and see just what she had in her hands. "Um, you coming?" His question got a negative in response. Besides the fact that she had more pressing things to attend to, the last thing she wanted was another stupid game of _'Who will get her to remove the patch'._ It was at best description, pointless and retarded. The tall man fixed an odd expression upon her, placing his hands on his hips for a moment before he quickly jerked to her left to see just what she was hiding from him only to find her foot planted on his right shoulder.

"So what ya got back there?" Rajiin asked boldly, his eyes looking to the foot on his shoulder every two seconds in fear.

_"LEAVE."_ She ordered him.

"Just curious, ya know?"

Fujiin sighed in frustration before repeating herself. _"LEAVE."_

"C-can I just see-"

_**SHPACK!**_

Fujiin blinked after watching her friend fall the the floor unconscious, and poked his side with her foot a few times before shrugging her shoulders and searching his pockets for the keys to his ride. When she didn't hear the promising jingle she was hoping for, she frowned and headed for the front gate. Getting to Balamb town could hardly be considered much of a chore without a vehicle. All she really had to do was make sure that she walked the roadway to avoid random encounters and the trip would be smooth.

* * *

_**At the Town of Balamb...**_

* * *

Rinoa, Selphie, and four other randomly selected friends were enjoying themselves at a new cafe that had opened up near the docks of the town. It was a fancy settlement with an open view of the blue waters, crashing against the mountains of Dollet that could leave one awe struck. The cafe was large, being up the three floors and an upper, circular balcony with glass dining tables that could seat up to six people if required. The menu had a variety of dishes to choose from, and the selection of pastries were simply exquisite. It was the perfect spot to spend leisure time with close friends.

"Mmm." Rinoa moaned in delight, licking the cream off of her lips after biting into her eclair. She turned to Selphie after she swallowed, and grinned happily. "Oh, this is delicious!"

"I told you!" Selphie smiled back at her cheerful friend. She sliced off a portion of her Trabian tiramisu and popped it into her mouth, blushing at the tingle in her taste buds. "Mph. This is heaven."

"I'm sure Squall would love to come here." Rinoa mused, wiping her mouth with her handkerchief.

"I'm surprised that he hasn't taken you here already." Antinella, a brunette girl with green eyes spoke from the other side of the dining table. She was a promising SeeD who just couldn't work up the will to study. Hence, she had taken her first SeeD written test over twenty times, and she still finds more time to hang out with her girlfriends. "Didn't you say he was the romantic type?"

"When he wants to be." Rinoa sighed, resting her cheek on a closed fist. She picked up her fork and started poking at her eclair softly. "He's been busy with work alot though, ever since the garden got back to resuming its original purpose as a military academy."

"Getting a little lonely?" Gissele, a short haired blonde with hazelnut eyes and rectangular glasses, asked. She was a member of the library, and a follower of the _'Harts'_, a secret group of girls who were similar to the Trepies with the only difference being their loyalty to Squall as opposed to the lovely, Quistis Trepe.

"No, no, no." Rinoa replied quickly, waving her hand. "I mean...sure I'd like for him to be with me much more, but...I don't want to be a bother either. He always makes up for it later though." The other women at the table squealed excitedly as the lovely Ms. Heartily sighed with a content smile. They all leaned forward with smirks on their faces, snapping the sorceress out of her daze. "Uh, what's up?"

"So..." Helena, another brunette with hair similar to Rinoa, and chocolate eyes, trailed off before placing a hand on top of Rinoa's. "How is it?"

* * *

Squall placed his hand on the leather, head cushion of Quistis's seat, and switched the gear into reverse before looking over his shoulder and parking in the space they managed to find near the bar. After they made it in smoothly, he parked the car and unclipped his seat belt to get out with the others. The sidewalks were surprisingly lively now ever since the town had been expanded. There were more shops, and two new restaurants as well as the cafe near the docks. An extra track was installed at the expanded station that stretched over a bridge leading to Deiling city so there were more visitors than before.

"I've got the meter." Xu offered, already dropping the change into the machine.

"How much time we've got?" Quistis asked, closing her door.

"Enough." Xu answered vaguely as she placed a hand on her friend's back to get her moving towards the bar entrance with Squall. The last thing they needed was another wild night with the blonde instructor. Quistis was a party animal when she was under the wrong influence. Entering the bar, they just missed Fujiin as the silver-haired woman turned around the last corner shaking off a young man that was trying his hand at hitting on her. Ignoring him didn't send the message so she gave him a kick to the shin to set him proper.

_He stopped here..._ Fujiin thought to herself, walking over to Squall's car quickly. The windows were tinted so it was nearly impossible to check if there were still any occupants within the vehicle, but she could tell that the engine was off. _...Must be a busy night. It will be easy to watch him without being noticed._ She pulled out a small book that was tucked in her back pocket and opened it in the bright shower of a light pole to pull out the small pen that was inside and flip to the last page before scribbling something. After she was done, she put it away and entered the bar as casually as she could as to not attract any unwanted attention. She spied Squall and the other two instructors take their seats at the bar stools near the left end, and walked over to the pool table area where two young men and their dates were having a match to make herself scarce.

"Ah, Trepie!" The female bartender exclaimed in a slightly deep voice at the sight of the blonde beauty. She was a woman of average height with a medium build, but it was clear by the way her shirt allowed others to see her well tone abs, that she took care of herself. She had sandy hair, brown eyes, and a lopsided smirk that seemed perfectly natural on her thin lips. It didn't look like she was a hometown girl though. She was probably a resident from Timber. "I see you brought yer' friends." Her eyes fell upon Squall and her smirk grew a little wider before she cooed, "Hi again, handsome."

"Hey." Squall replied indifferently, answering her wink with a casual wave.

"There goes, charming." Xu teased at the commander's dispassionate reply.

"So what's it gonna be tonight?"

"I'll settle with a beer." Quistis answered before looking between Xu, and Squall. "What do you think guys?"

"Edenken." Squall and Xu answered at the same time.

_Edenken..._ Fujiin scribbled in her small book some more, overhearing the conversation. One of the young men at the pool table looked away from his date to regard her silently before cracking her a grin which he probably assumed was charming, but was the opposite in her eyes. Their eyes remained locked for a good while until he began to sweat under her intense stare. _"PROBLEM?" _The music was at a level that kept Squall and the others from hearing her at the tone she spoke.

"Uh, n-no." He immediately turned away.

Xu slid the beer glass that was passed to her to Quistis, so she could pass it to Squall and so on until the three of them had their drinks. Quistis took the first drink from her glass, setting it down lightly. She set her eyes on Squall as he did the same with his glass, and began, "So...what do you think? Better than office work, hmm?"

"It's a change of pace." His answer held no space for any more comment on the question.

"A very _Squall-like_ answer." Xu commented, passing her tongue over her upper lip. "Of course, wait until you have to take your trainees on their field test. You'll have more to say then."

"Ah, but he actually had quite a bit to say today." The blonde instructor said melodically with a mellow grin.

"And what do you mean by that?" Xu inquired curiously.

_What does she mean by that? _Squall felt just as curious, listening to his fellow instructor. It was way too early for her to show signs of intoxication already so what was coming out of her mouth couldn't have possibly been mere mischief.

"Well, Mr. Leonhart here was getting acquainted with his trainees." Quistis went on vaguely. "Well, one in particular to be more exact."

_Fujiin looked up from her book to turn her attention toward the bar._

"Ah, showing interest in one already, eh?" Xu asked Squall, grinning at him. "The commander has an eye for potential, it would seem."

"I suppose Fujiin would have much potential." The lovely Trepe chimed before taking another drink for her glass.

"Fujiin?" Xu questioned, quirking a brow. "You mean from the disciplinary committee that our dear Almasy left behind?"

"Yeah, that one." Squall answered with a slight flick of his hand.

"And how did she pique your interest?" Xu inquired, finishing the last of her beer. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with her or Rajiin."

"Guilt." Quistis said. "That is what drew him to her."

_Guilt from what?_ Fujiin found herself wanting to get closer, but she didn't want to reveal herself. Why would Squall feel guilt towards her of all people. What had he done to her that stirred such troublesome thoughts? Was his talk with her out of pity? Did he give her the position of squad leader because of some special treatment? She wanted nothing of it. If he was to acknowledge her then he would have to do it because he desired it, not because he felt obliged.

"Guilt?" Xu echoed her friend, suddenly interested. "And what might have inspired that within you, Squall? You must tell me."

"It's nothing I'd care to talk about." Squall refused her, standing up from his stool. "That's enough Quistis."

"Just a little fun." She told him, discouraged to go on any further by his mood. "I'm sorry if I caused any harm by it."

"No harm done." Squall assured her before walking off to the restroom, which happened to be behind the pool area.

"It appears he still holds a wall around him." Quistis sighed. "I thought he had loosened up a bit, but I was wrong."

"Don't let it get you down." Xu consoled the blonde instructor before pointing at Squalls beer glass, still more than half full. "He's just still completely sober. Give him a little while longer, and I'm sure he'll warm up to us."

_And where did this come from?_ Squall thought to himself, Quistis's game still fresh in his mind. What he did with another was his business, and he would have appreciated if she didn't make what knowledge he might have imparted on her, known by others. So maybe she didn't mean anything by it, but he didn't want to be tied down by his connection to Seifer forever. Having others know about his guilt over the loose ends between him and his rival was bound to do just that if it went beyond Quistis's pink lips.

_Great...now I feel ever more guilty. _Squall stopped before the hallway to the restroom, and placed a hand on his hip as he looked over his shoulder at his drinking mates. _I guess I should apologize to her or this is bound to come back to me later. _

_Squall..._Fujiin stashed away her book, and went rigid when Squall stopped a few feet away from her, placing a hand on his hip. Luckily he looked over his left shoulder, opposite of where she sat so he didn't get a glimpse of her, but there was a lingering fear in the back of her mind that he might just look her way. Back in the cafeteria he seemed to be capable of sensing her gaze upon him, yet that knowledge also brought upon another feeling within her that she couldn't quite comprehend. While she was plagued with fear, she could feel excitement building within her as well. She was so close to him and he didn't even realize it. What would he do when he caught her in the act of partaking in her favorite hobby? Would he be surprised at the sight of her, confused, or perhaps he may even find it convenient. _Will he set his sights on me?_

Her answer came when the sound of colliding billiards caught the commander's attention. He turned his head in the direction of the pool tables for a moment to observe the activity that was in progress before his eyes darted to her, causing her to intake oxygen quickly. What was this faint euphoria that had settled within her at that moment?

_He has found me. _Fujiin pressed her legs together tightly when Squall proceeded to walk to her with a curious expression on his face as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Maybe_ he's worried that I had overheard their exchanges at the bar. Yeah, I'd actually like to hear more on that._

"Fujiin?" Squall said her name questioningly, stopping in front of her. The young man that had been staring at her earlier seemed to be disturbed at the lion's presence, but there was also a hesitance in his movement as if he wanted to become a statue. Anything to keep her eye from wandering to him so as not to remind her of his offending gaze earlier. Fujiin did her best to seem as if she didn't hear him, keeping her gaze on what was going on beyond the window to her left.

"...Fujiin, you hear me." Squall persisted.

_"COMMANDER?"_ She spoke his name in an unsure tone.

"Call me by my name, please." Squall said with a hint of irritation in his tone. "How long have you been here?"

_"Long enough to overhear something that caught my interest."_ Fujiin answered him truthfully...well somewhat. Her answer made the young man go stiff in the shoulders, but he relaxed, shaking off the shock quickly enough so that it wasn't too noticeable.

Squall cleared his throat. "What...caught your interest?"

_"GUILT."_

"...That." Squall mumbled, averting his eyes for a moment. For some reason her eye looked more intense than usual after she said her last word. He noticed that she was switching between her usual style of speaking and his preferred style as well. _I've seen her angry before, but this seems a little different. I'm still a little curious on why she's here though. I don't remember seeing her when I came in either. Has she been sitting by this window the entire time just staring outside?_ He searched for a drink nearby, but she appeared to have nothing. _That's odd._

_"Something the matter?" _Her question brought him out of his minor investigation.

"No." He deadpanned.

_"Then you mind elaborating?" _

"On...guilt?"

_"Yes, your guilt. The guilt that made you speak to me."_

Squall blinked. "Are you mad at me?"

_"That is,"_ Fujiin sighed, her eye sinking to the floor. _"-beside the point. Is this about Seifer?"_

"Partly." Squall answered her. "What really got my attention was the way you were staring at me in the cafeteria this afternoon." His words caused a faint blush to color her cheeks, but her expression completely killed the feeling that should have accompanied it.

_"STARING?"_

_She just went back to...what's going on? _"Yeah." Squall nodded before jabbing a thumb at Quistis and Xu, oblivious to the fact that he was having a conversation with the young woman they were going to discuss. "I had the feeling that you held some sort of grudge against me for Seifer's leave from the garden."

_"Grudge?" _Fujiin blinked to emphasize her confusion. _"I feel no grudge towards you, Squall."_

"I understood that when we spoke at the training center." He offered her an uncharacteristic smirk that stunned the young woman. "I doubt that anybody would smile at a person they have a grudge against."

_"TRUE."_ She did her best to seem unaffected by his smirk, but her blood was actually running wild.

"So did you drive here?"

_"WALKED." _Her answer made the commander narrow his eyes in concentration as if he had to take a little more time to process her response. Was he supposed to believe that she walked to town in the dark while there were monsters out there in the fields? Of course, he was sure that she could handle herself against bite bugs, and Caterchipillers, but T-Rexuars were a different world entirely when you were facing one alone.

"How do you intend to get back?" Squall asked. "Is Rajiin going to come pick you up?"

_"WALK."_ The silver-haired woman answered casually, seemingly unfazed by the threat of attacking creatures in the night.

"Why don't you contact-"

_"He's at a party at Shaunty's." _Fujiin Cut him off.

_Shaunty? Who the hell is that?_ Squall raised an eyebrow. "What time are you heading back?"

_"No specific time."_

"You're coming with me then." Squall told her, leaving no room for argument.

_"Just the two of us?"_ She did her best not to sound hopeful.

"Quistis and Xu are coming to." Squall replied. "Are you going to join as at the bar?"

_"FINE HERE."_

"Fine."

* * *

_**Meanwhile...**_

* * *

As things progressed between two certain individuals at a bar back at Balamb town, a posse of young women headed back to the garden in Antinella's car while the hit song, _'Rockin like and Ochu' _blasted from the sound system. Giselle and Selphie kept their rifles poking out from the back windows just in case a monster happened to decide that following the noise was a good idea for late night fun.

"Hey." Antinella began, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel to the guitar solo of the song. "Since we're still on the subject of our dear commander, there's actually something interesting that I figured you'd like to know, Rinoa."

"What's that?" Rinoa asked, sipping from the straw of her drink.

"Mr. Leonhart has a few admirers, you know?" She asked with a mischievous grin.

"Of course." Rinoa said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "Giselle is one of them."

"Hey, don't compare me to what she's talking about!" The librarian defended herself.

"What _are _you talking about then?" The young Heartily asked, suddenly sounding a bit worried.

"One does not become popular without attracting a few freaks." Antinella replied.

"Um, not cool, Nella." Selphie said, sounding disgusted by her choice of words. "They're people just in case you forgot."

"Hey!" Rinoa finally got agitated. "What are you talking about? Tell me already!"

"Stalkers." Antinella answered melodically.

"Ooh, just got shivers." Helena squeaked, rubbing her arms.

"So?" Rinoa calmed down, sipping from her drink with a lazy grin. "They're harmless."

"You'd be surprised." Helena decided to become part of the conversation. "Look how successful the '_Girl with a pony tail'_ was!"

"You mean Zell's girlfriend?" Selphie bugged out.

"Yeah." Giselle nodded. "See, they seem all timid and crap, and then they just worm themselves into a man's heart!"

"Er, you seem pissed off." Selphie commented, looking away from the window to regard her bespectacled friend with an uneasy look.

"Look, I'm sure nothing will happen." Rinoa assured them. "Squall would just turn them away. I know him."

* * *

_**One would be surprised...**_

* * *

Quistis looked up at the passenger seat that she had been previously occupying on the drive to the bar to find Fujiin sitting comfortably with her seat belt on. Once they were done with their fun, Squall informed her and Xu that Fujiin had been at the bar, and that she had no one planning on taking her back to the garden. Now, the blonde instructor was not an unreasonable individual. The natural decision would be to offer the young woman a ride home, and Squall was a gentleman for doing so, but Quistis didn't understand why Fujiin had to take her place beside him. She claimed that seat for herself!

"This was unexpected." Xu whispered to her, unable to make out the scowl on Quistis's lovely face through the darkness.

"Tell me about it." Quistis whispered back. "When did she get to the bar anyway? I didn't see her anywhere when we came in."

"You think she followed?" Xu asked.

"...No way." Quistis replied, shaking her head. _Although that is a creepy possibility. First I find her staring at Squall throughout the whole time we were at the cafe, and suddenly she manages to get placed in his squad. Now that may have been a coincidence, but she was at the bar? For what?_ She looked away from Xu to look at Fujiin just in time to see the woman steal a glance at the driving commander. She caught the faint hint of color on her cheeks.

_...I didn't quite notice it before but...could she actually have something for him? _Quistis let her mouth fall for a moment as the realization smacked her with a force so strong that it stunned her. _How could I have been so foolish? I was in a similar situation when I was younger...watching Squall from a distance before I became his instructor..._

"She intends to take him for herself."

Xu looked to Quistis when hse heard her mumble to herself. "What was that?"

"Nothing...nothing." Quistis replied.

* * *

_I never took Squall for the type to hang out with others, however it appears that he does partake in a drink with friends on occasion. Instructor Xu, and Trepe managed to convince him to take them out. Though she does well to hide her true intentions from him, it's quite clear to me that Instructor Trepe intends to go further than a mere friendship with him. The only obstacle that keep her from being more forward with her advances is his intimate bond with Rinoa Heartily although that can be taken care of quite easily._

_- Stalker's Log, September 15th-_ **_LOG ONE..._**

_Edenken...Squall appears to have a taste for beer..._

_- Stalker's Log, September 15th- **LOG TWO...**_

_I am pleased that I was able to tap into my courage once more for another conversation with Squall. This time it wasn't very pleasant at the beginning because of something I overheard while watching him in the bar, however, I was able to make another connection with him. Seifer will no longer be an obstacle between him and I, that I will do my bestto ensure. Squall also appears to have noticed my smile...that is sure to up my chances at releasing the tension between us. My progress takes another step further..._

_- Stalker's Log, September 15th- **LOG THREE...**_

_As Squall took be back to Balamb Garden I couldn't help but notice instructor Trepe's eyes on me from the back seat. She must have believed that I would not have noticed, but it was quite clear to me by using the rear view mirror. I can already tell that there may be friction between us in the future. The look in her eyes made that much clear._

_- Stalker's Log, September 15th-_

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_


	3. Interjection

**_Disclaimer_**: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

**_Chapter Three: The Day Sense lost Meaning..._**

_By Traingham_

* * *

The next day started off fairly normal for one Squall Leonhart as he awoke from his slumber to find one Rinoa Heartily clutching him like a teddy bear. He was inwardly relieved that she didn't bring that incredibly destructive canine with her. What she allowed Angelo to do in her own dorm room was her business. He had no idea why she found the dog so lovable, or how the dog still loved her since we're on the subject. He figured dogs were just pretty forgiving that way. Many times had Squall seen Angelo rush in and bash into monsters twenty times his size, pile drive them, mysteriously explode on contact with them, and only do it for the price of one simple doggy treat. Now, setting aside the question of how the dog was able to carry around explosives in its fur, and learn wrestling moves for that matter...where the hell did he come from most of the time? He was like some secret service agent, completely invisible at all times. Squall had only seen him appear on two occasions and that was to see Rinoa off on the train operation, and to see her off at the pod launch station.

"...Stupid thoughts, too early in the morning..." The young commander growled, running his hand through his hair slowly. He carefully removed himself from his girlfriend's secure arms, and shuffled towards the edge of the bed as cautiously as he possibly could. Awakening Rinoa could get some pretty interesting results to say the least. He felt that he could sympathize with Zones for being so scared to disturb her from her slumber when she resided with them on the resistance train. Almost as if on cue, there was a sudden loud knock on the door. The commander looked over his shoulder to see the young woman curl into a ball quickly as if it kicked in like a natural defense mechanism before she spread out and muttered, "Ultima..."

_Ultima? _Seconds later there was the sound of an explosion, and a few car alarms. The lone wolf decided not to let anyone know about this incident. Maybe it was one of the garden facility vehicles anyway. Getting back to the business at hand, Squall walked to the door and opened it to reveal Selphie's perky self. She hopped up and down at the sight of him before her cheeks burned scarlet at realizing that the commander was shirtless. Now maybe it was just because Irvine's style of combat relied less on running and swinging, but the former galbadian student had nothing on Squall's physique.

_W-Woooow..._ Was all the Trabian girl's mind could process for a few seconds before she cleared her throat, and tossed Squall a towel. "Ahm...aherm." Selphie cleared her throat again when she felt it close up again before greeting, "Good morning, Mr. grumpykins!"

"Selphie." Squall said her name in his usual greeting. He observed her sporty appearance and mentally prepared himself for the worst. A sweat suit, head band, and plastic bag with two water bottles. Oh no, another morning with Selphie. That would mean exercise for his body, and mind.

"C'mon!" Selphie told him, beaming at him brightly. "Time for our jog."

"...Alright." He muttered before walking back into his room to retrieve a t-shirt from his dresser. He found a black one with the garden emblem and walked out, closing the door behind him quietly. "Why don't you ever ask Zell or Quistis to join you?" He grumbled to his friend, pulling his shirt over his head. Selphie watched as his hair feather over his face when his shirt passed down to fall on his shoulders and felt her cheeks heat up again.

"B-because they're always cranky at this time." Selphie answered him, walking beside him as they headed out into the main circle of the garden. "Man, Quistis even threw a pillow at me last time I knocked on her door in the morning, and Zell just growls at me from the other side of the door like a dog."

Squall nodded in an absent minded fashion to let her know that he was listening before he asked, "And Irvine?"

"Who's that?" Selphie's eyes sharpened upon Squall in a dangerous manner.

"Oh..." He got the message fairly well. _I wonder who she caught him with this time. _

"Oh, Squall, watch ou-"

"UMPH." Was all Squall could make out as he felt something bump into him. He snapped out of his morning daze and looked down to find Fujiin sitting up on the floor, looking up at him with her hand on the back of her head, rubbing it in a soothing fashion.

"Sorry." Squall apologized, leaning over to give her a hand. When she accepted it, he pulled her up to her feet and studied her appearance. She was wearing the garden jogging uniform, which surprised him since he'd never seen her out jogging before and he never heard about her joining the garden track team. "Fujiin." He greeted her in his gruff voice, sending tingles through her skin. She found that his unkempt look was actually quite attractive. It allowed her to see another side of him that he rarely revealed. Now she just wanted to know why Ms. Tilmmit had that privilege all along.

"SQUALL." Fujiin greeted back before swiveling her eye to regard his companion in a cold manner.

Selphie felt a little unnerved when Fujiin seemed content to just stare at her rather than offer her a greeting. She decided to crack the ice by giving her a little wave, greeting, "Good morning Fujiin. I, uh, didn't know that you got up this early."

"ON OCCASION." The stoic woman replied, getting a quick nod from the other young woman. In actuality, this was the first time she ever considered trying it, and that was only because she'd noticed that Squall had a routine going on with Selphie. It was already hard enough knowing that Rinoa had her hands on the young commander, but having private time alone with the perky Ms. Tilmmit was something that managed to strike a chord in her. It was barely noticeable to those who didn't understand Squall's nature as much as Fujiin did, but she observed that the lion was much nicer to Selphie than he was to his other companions, and the other students of the garden in general. She wasn't exactly sure why, but the _'Messenger girl' _as some still tended to call her, was able to connect with Squall on a level that even she was unable to understand.

This bond allowed her to get away with many things that others normally wouldn't, such as convincing him to jog with her every morning, or manage to maintain a conversation with him that didn't involve matters of the garden or SeeD. The only other person who probably had a chance of doing that was Instructor Trepe, but that was mainly due to the long history they had between each other. Squall would brush off Zell without a second thought unless the martial artist managed to force him into listening in on one of his rants about the world, which was always surprisingly accurate. One would wonder if the young man was actually a closet bookworm. The commander never tolerated any of Irvine's scandalous ideas, and Rinoa was more of a person he felt he was obligated to because of their relationship.

_Instructor Xu seems to have some sort of relationship with Squall as well. The nature of it, however, is still in question. _Fujiin made sure to make a mental note before she realized that Squall's lips were moving, which would indicate that he was talking to her. "_Excuse me?"_ Her question surprised Selphie, who expected the words in Fujiin's dialogue box to be more..._Fujiin-like._

"Are we going to get in your way?" Squall asked, placing a hand on his hip._ This might give me a few more minutes of sleep if anything..._

_I wish you would get in my way. _Fujiin inwardly thought suggestively before answering, _"I figured we do this together."_

"The three of us, jog together?" Selphie asked, successfully masking the disturbance she felt as hearing this new development. _I kind of appreciate it when it's just me and Squall. Before you know it, Quistis will be joining in on thi-_

"What are you three doing here?" Selphie turned around slowly when she heard the blonde instructor's voice ring from behind her. There she stood with her blonde hair in a pony tail, adorned in sweat pants and a sports top that stopped at her midriff. She had a white towel hanging around her neck and a sports bottle in one hand. "You forming a jogging squad, Squall?" Quistis asked with a subtle smirk. "How unusual for someone like you." Her eyes lingered on Fujiin for a fleeting moment before she regarded the young commander again. "And your squad leader is here..."

_"INSTRUCTOR..."_ Fujiin greeted her with a noticeable hint of uncertainty. The stoic young woman appeared to be slightly unsettled at Quistis's presence. The instructor on the other hand seemed to be unaffected by the meeting if one were to completely look beyond the twitching smirk that settled on her lips. Squall, however, remained oblivious to the little details, including Selphie's silent plea for him to reject their group activity and simply limit it to just the two of them, looking to Quistis with a look of indifference.

"We just happened to meet coincidentally." Squall replied, gesturing to Fujiin. "With Fujiin, that is." He explained further. "Selphie and I have made a habit of doing this every morning. Imagine my curiosity at finding you here." His words hinted at a suspicion, but the dear instructor simply ignored the tone, and offered him an oblivious grin.

"I decided that getting back into an exercising routine would do me some good with the training and all. You of all people should understand that training also involves a great deal on the instructor as well as the students." Quistis stated, convincingly enough since Squall seemed to have no objections. He simply crossed his arms and nodded. She passed.

"I see." Squall accepted her words at face value. "Well then...I suppose you would find a group activity beneficial towards all of us?"

"Read my mind." Quistis replied with a nod.

_She means to force herself into our group._ Fujiin inwardly disapproved of it, but she understood that she was of no exception to the crime seeing as how this was originally something Selphie had planned with the commander in the first place. _I suppose this should have been expected._

Selphie reached out for Squall hesitantly. "But...uh-"

"Instructor Leonhart." A familiar voice got everyone's attention. They all turned around in Quistis's direction to find Xu standing behind her, arms crossed and donning her instructor uniform. Her short, brown hair gave no indication of ever suffering from bed hair, and the professional smile on her lovely face glowed with the aura of a morning person. Was it possible to find this woman having a bad day?

"Xu?" Squall quirked an eyebrow at her presence. His eyes regarded the clip board of papers that were tucked to her chest, and a sigh escaped him though the three young women around him weren't sure if it was from the sight of more work, or relief. "What's wrong?"

"Morning to you too, Squall." Xu replied in a cheery voice that cracked at him like a whip. The woman could be a little unsettling sometimes. "Now, what is this? Are you starting a jogging program?"

"Me and Selphie were about to." Squall replied vaguely before gesturing to Fujiin. "We just happened to meet her as we came out. The same thing happened with Quistis."

"Aha..." Xu casted a surreptitious look at Quistis before saying, "I had no idea you did this sort of thing, Trepie."

"Huh?" The blonde instructor suddenly went rigid.

"You threw your mog plushy at me, last time I simply mentioned the idea of morning jogging to you." Xu went on, narrowing her eyes imperceptibly.

"She threw a pillow at me too." Selphie threw in quickly.

"I had a change of heart, alright?" Quistis snapped at her friend before mouthing to her_, "Stay outta my business, huh?" _

Xu regarded her silently for a moment before nodding slowly, and walking past her to approach the silent commander. Squall found himself locking eyes with the mysterious instructor before feeling one of her hands grip one of his firmly. "Well," She began, looking to the other women, "I'm going to be taking him with me now. You see, he has some official garden business to tend to, so no eye candy for today."

_"I-"_

"Come on." Xu pulled Squall along with her without warning, and lead him away from them before Fujiin could get another word out of her mouth. The silver-haired young woman could only watch the commander's fleeting form as Xu lead him further away. While she was slightly disappointed that her time with him was taken away, she also felt a bit of relief in knowing that the complications were out of the way._ I'll be able to watch him during our sessions later anyway. Of course-_ Her eye fell upon Quistis as the instructor leaned against the walkway rail. _-Even that can be unpleasant now that Instructor Trepe is aware of my...habits._

"Hey guys," Selphie called the attention of the other two women with a look of annoyance plastered upon her features. She clenched both of her hands into fists and raised them up to her chest before throwing them down in a fit of frustration. "THANKS!" With that, she brushed past Quistis and headed back to her dorm for a lonely morning, watching TV. That just left Fujiin and Quistis to stare at each other...

_"WHAT?"_ Fujiin asked, staring back at the instructor without so much as a blink.

"See you at training this afternoon." Quistis replied with a smirk before turning her back on her to leave. At her words, Fujiin was tempted to cast _Break_ on the instructor and tip her into the water, but she was sure that Squall would take note of her absence. She could already tell that things weren't going to be pleasant between them as things were currently progressing. Her thoughts of the blonde beauty was put aside, however, when a disturbing thought came to mind. _...My very own Squall statue...hm...ah, but I wouldn't be able to hear his voice if I petrified him._

* * *

**_--_**

**_Looking to Squall's Office..._**

**_--_**

Squall took a moment to digest Xu's words as he stared back at her from across his desk. The mysterious woman seemed to be completely unfazed by his stunned expression, offering him nothing more than a smirk. She watched him look down at the attendance paper on his desk before looking back to her, and back at the offending document again. Cid just didn't know when to stop, did he?

"The headmaster wants me to hold SeeD studies?" Squall asked for the third time, leaning forward in his chair.

"That is correct." Xu nodded. "It's nothing special. All instructors are likely to do it at some point in their career. Be glad that you'll have an early start." Her words were supposed to affect him positively, but the young commander found nothing pleasant about it. He was going to have to put up with a select group of SeeD candidates every Wednesday, and Friday for classes on basic SeeD knowledge, magic, and guardian force studies. This just had to be his worst nightmare.

"...And if I refuse?" Squall asked, his expression growing dark.

"Well, there is an instructor exchange program at Trabia and-"

"I'll do it." Squall answered her before she could go any further. He inwardly scowled when Xu smiled in satisfaction, and turned back to the list in front of him, doing an observation of his student's names. Now, why weren't any of them exactly ringing a bell? He couldn't exactly recall any faces with the names that were presented to him. In fact, were these students really registered in Balamb garden at all. His eyes swiveled to Xu slowly, inspecting the knowing look on her face. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "Xu..."

"Yeah, they're all new." Xu answered his unspoken question. "They won't be registered under Balamb, but they will be dorming here, beginning today."

"Where are they from?" Squall asked, furrowing his brow. "Who are they?"

"They're new recruits for Edea's White SeeD faction."

"Meaning, orphans?" Squall asked, massaging his left temple. "Those SeeDs want nothing to do with our Garden. If they want to get those recruits taught and trained, then have them do it them self."

"Well, they did express those exact sentiments, however, Ms. Kramer wanted these recruits to learn from Balamb." Xu explained, the pleasant smile never leaving her face as she went on. "You see, when she heard from Cid-"

_I'm beginning to hate that old man..._ Squall inwardly growled, listening on.

"-that you had become an instructor, Edea was simply elated."

_...This sounds like a trap already. Why are those two always thrusting me into these situations without my knowledge?_

"So the two of them talked about it, and Edea decided that she wanted to entrust her new candidates to you. She felt that if anyone would be able to guide them, it would be her dear, Squall. You see, she holds you in high regard."

"I noticed..." Squall replied dimly. _I really wished she didn't._

"She also felt that you would be able to understand them better than anyone else." Xu added.

_How did she come to that conclusion? I've spent most of my life distancing myself from others. _Squall merely nodded, looking back to the document. "So besides the squad of Balamb candidates that I have to instruct, these students are going to be under my care as well?"

"That's correct."

"And who is going to teach the Balamb candidates?"

"You just leave that to me, Quistis and the other instructors. We'll take care of all the boring stuff." Xu replied, standing up from her seat before she proceeded to head for the door to his office. She stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder, back at him. "Oh, and you will begin you first class on the second floor, room _seven A. _Enjoy yourself."

"..." Squall offered her no response as she left him to himself, staring at the ceiling to question Hyne's motives. Life just wasn't meant to be easy for the young commander. That much he was able to understand since the moment he embarked on his first SeeD mission. _I just hope I won't end up like Quistis, and get tangled up in a battle for the world's future. _Squall thought sarcastically. He was sure she didn't see that one coming, the night of the SeeD graduation ball. He looked to the slick, black phone resting on the right side of his desk and sighed.

_There has got to be a way out of this._ He thought, dialing the number to Edea's orphanage. He tapped his gloved fingers on the surface of his desk, waiting for a response and narrowed his eyes when he heard a powerful, relaxing voice speak to him.

_"Good morning. This is the Kramer orphanage." _Edea greeted.

"Good morning, Matron." Squall greeted back.

_"Oh my, it's been so long since I've heard your voice sweetheart. Now this is a pleasant surprise." _Her reaction to knowing it was him crushed some of the resolve he had within him. He wasn't sure if she really missed him, or if she was just playing him so he wouldn't decline the burden placed on him. _"To think that my dear Squall would take the time out of his day to call."_

"Right." Squall cleared his throat. "I, uh, received some unexpected news a few minutes ago."

_"Is that so?" _Edea chuckled in a way that only a once possessed sorceress could. It reminded the young commander of a point in time he never wanted to return to. _"Concerning what, Squall?"_

"Concerning you, of course." Squall answered her, not one to allow himself to get intimidated.

_"Ah, I see. Cid must have informed you of the arrangement we made."_

"Xu did, actually."

_"Little details, dear. Little details."_ Edea laughed again. _"Yes, I trust that you will accept the responsibility?"_

_A trap...I knew it..._ Squall thought to himself before replying, "About that...why are you sending SeeD candidates from your private faction over here?"

_"Because I want nothing, but the best for them."_

"Me?"

_"Why, of course." _Edea replied in an, _'Well, isn't that obvious?', _manner. _"You're the commander that lead your garden to defeat the entire Galbadian military force. You lead your companions against supernatural forces, and fought against time compression to ensure the safety of the universe. You don't see things in black and white like others do, otherwise I may not have been given another chance to live. If that isn't the best qualifications, then pray tell, what is?"_

"M...Matron." Squall felt a lump in his throat, but he pushed on regardless even if things were beginning to look grim for him. Edea practically laughed _"Checkmate"_ through the phone with her words. "...You understand that...I'm not the type to handle others on the level you're asking of me. I can't possibly envision myself as a teacher."

_"You are too modest, dear."_ Edea said, smiling through her words. _"Well, I am depending on you."_

"Matron, wai-"

**_Click..._**

_She hung up on him..._

"...She's serious about this..." Squall muttered, running a hand down his face, but he snapped out of his misery when he realized that someone had been sitting in his chair the entire time he was talking with Edea. He never even heard or sense them. There, sitting in one of the seats across from him was a woman that he found himself meeting with a lot lately. He was beginning to wonder what he must have done to make it so. "Fujiin, when did you come in?"

_"WHILE AGO." _Fujiin replied, her text coming out in her usual style.

"I don't...remember seeing you come in."

_"You must have been too absorbed in your conversation." _The silver-haired woman said, folding her hands upon her lap gracefully. That was something Squall always acknowledged about her. While Rajiin was boisterous, and clumsy, Fujiin was his complete opposite, rarely to talk, carrying herself like the nature of the wind itself. Perhaps the two really did have quite an affinity to the elements they specialized in. Of course, he also knew that she had a violent side as well. Engagements with her in the past kept him well informed about that quite well.

"Oh, you heard all of that." Squall thought out loud, opening the top drawer on his left to stash the documents Xu left him with, inside. When he closed the drawer again, he looked back at Fujiin, finding himself in an awkward silence with her for longer than he expected. Did she come here to talk to him, or stare at him. Finding out the complex answer to that question would have probably disturbed him.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me?" Squall asked, deciding to get to the point before he got lost in her crimson orb. Once again, he found himself wondering what caused her to have that mysterious eye patch.

_"BUSY?"_

"Not at the moment." Squall replied, still unsure of where this was going. _This wasn't exactly how I saw myself spending my morning. Attempting to have a conversation with this woman is a task...attempting to have a conversation? _Squall blinked. _Didn't see that one coming..._

_"THANK YOU."_ Fujiin began, catching the lion off guard. She noticed the confused expression on his face, and added, _"For the ride last night."_

"Oh." Squall blinked again. "That's fine. I wasn't expecting to find you there in the first place, though."

_Fujiin cocked her head to the side uncomfortably..._

_That must have come out rude._ The commander averted his eyes for a moment before proceeding, "I meant, I never took you for the type to go to a bar. You always seemed kind of distance for that type of thing."

_"I SEE."_ Fujiin nodded, relieved to hear his actual thoughts on the matter. She thought he was already suspicious. That would make things quite difficult for her. She swallowed, working up what courage she could gather before her crush, and said, _"I was surprised as well. You always appear to be so cold, so I never would have taken you for the type to drink with friends."_

"I was talked into it." Squall explained, folding his hands under his chin to support his head as he leaned forward. "Besides, Rinoa keeps on encouraging me to get away from the garden. I'm sure it's because she wants me away from work." He missed the way Fujiin's eye twitched at the mention of the lovely Ms. Heartily. Sometimes she forgot that the resistance leader still had her claim on the lion that treaded her heart. No matter. These things were easy to deal with if one knew how, and Fujiin already had her ways.

_"UNDERSTOOD." _Fujiin responded, finding her mouth going dry with nothing else coming to mind. She knew that Squall would probably turn her away if she didn't say something soon, however. He didn't appear too comfortable for some reason. She could only reason that it probably had something to do with Rinoa. _"ANY DEVELOPMENTS?"_

Squall raised an eyebrow curiously at her sudden question. "In regard to what?"

_"INSTRUCTING."_

"Oh...that." Squall groaned. "Yeah. Cid assigned me to teach a class."

_"INTERESTING."_ Fujiin did well to mask her excitement at this unexpected development. _"A class for SeeD, perhaps?"_

"Yeah." Squall nodded. "Edea is transferring some candidates she selected, to the garden."

_Not something I wanted to hear..._Fujiin inwardly deflated. _"You won't be teaching Balamb candidates?"_

"Not from what I heard." Squall replied. _You sound a little disappointed to hear that..._

_"SHAME." _Fujiin said, crossing her legs. _I will have to make an arrangement with Headmaster Cid, somehow. As long as it meets the same curriculum, getting a seat in his class would be simple enough with some persuasion. "TREPE KNOW?"_

"I don't think Xu spoke to her about it yet." Squall replied. _Why is that important?_

_"GOOD BYE, THEN." _Fujiin said without warning, standing up from her seat.

"Hm?" Squall found himself a little disappointed to see her go. "What's the matter?"

_"ERRANDS TO RUN."_ Fujiin replied before leaving his office as quietly as she had come in.

"...I always thought she was weird." Squall mumbled, opening his top right drawer to pull out a small glasses case. He took his rectangular, reading glasses out to slip them on, and opened his record book to write down the name of his students. It was pleasantly quiet for a few minutes as he handled business until he heard a light rapping on his door. The commander rolled his eyes briefly before saying, "Come in."

"Morning, again." Quistis greeted him, walking in with her instructing uniform on. He watched her take a seat in one of the chairs he had set in front of his desk before she regarded him with an odd expression, blinking a few times. "What?" He growled softly, setting his pen down upon the page he was scribbling in.

"I didn't know that you used glasses." The blonde instructor commented, pointing at him with a grin.

"Kadowaki recommended it." Squall said, picking up his pen again to continue writing.

"So what's up?" Quistis leaned over, off her seat, curiously to get a look at what he was doing. "What did Xu want from you?"

"She wanted to inform me on something." Squall answered vaguely, writing on.

"Inform you on what?" Quistis pressed on, refusing to be left lost, but Squall gave her a look that sent the message that he didn't want to go any further on the matter. Still, she remained defiant and pressed on further. "Stop being such a tight ass."

"I'm being assigned a class." Squall answered her, awaiting the inevitable tease.

"You're going to be a teacher?" Quistis broke out into one of her rare smiles again. "Wow...I mean...wow." Quistis did her best to conceal her mirth as she watched Squall's expression twist into something frightening. He was pissed off. "Aw, don't get so angry about it. I'm sure this will be an educa..." Quistis trailed off much to his confusion. _Wait...that means that Fujiin will definitely end up in his class if that's the case. Why don't I feel the least bit comfortable knowing that? _"...ational...experience. Hey...did you get your list of students yet?"

"I'm already copying them down into my record book." Squall replied, turning his attention back to said book. He was tempted to cast _Silence_ on her, but he was sure that he'd only regret it later. He could still remember the time she casted _Confuse _on Irvine while he was hitting on a girl behind Selphie's back. He poured out his entire conquest list to the girl before he could stop himself, earning a few shots to those which labeled him a man. The cowboy just had no luck lately.

"Any of your squad members on the roster?"

"My students won't be from Balamb."

"Oh." Quistis sounded a bit too relieved for her own good. "Trabian students then? I can only imagine how excited Selphie will be."

"They're, White SeeD candidates." Squall clarified for her.

"...Eh?" Quistis's glasses gleamed dangerously as a frown made its way along her lovely lips. "That unfriendly bunch? How did you get so unlucky?"

"Well, these students aren't exactly tainted by their mannerisms yet." Squall replied. "Besides, Matron requested it."

"...Tough." The blonde instructor shook her head for her friend. "It's hard to turn her down."

"There is no turning her down." Squall concurred. "That's a sin."

"Ah, good to hear humor from you."

_Squall glared at her._

"You done now?"

"Still a little cranky, eh?" Quistis teased, getting up from her seat. "Well, I've got a class to teach later so I'm going to prep up. Later." With that, she left him to his own devices.

"Whatever." The commander muttered, turning the page of students over to find something that made him sweat.

* * *

_By the way, dear, these children are quite special in their own ways, so do be patient. I'm quite sure that with enough guidance from you, they will be on their way to becoming fine young men and women._

_#1: Yuffie: Obsession with he ninja culture __(She has sticky finger, mind you.)_

_#2: Vaan: Main character complex __(Claims to be the leading man whenever referred to.)_

_#3: Lulu: Doll obsession __(Not as harmless as it sounds, dear.)_

_#4: Rude:Delusional __(Claims to be an agent for a secret organization.)_

_#5: Ashe: Able to see spirits __(Be careful with this one.)_

_#6: Aya: Pyromaniac __(Will babble about mitochondria if prompted to speak for too long.)_

_#7: Auron: Lost __(Ignore his rants. He claims that the life he lives is a story.)_

_#8: Cid: Multiple personality disorder __(Claimed to be my husband once.)_

_#9: Aerith: ...Hard to tell... __(She is an odd one though...)_

_#10: Setzer: Opera obsession __(He will obsess over a beautiful voice. Speak with caution.)_

_#11: Beatrix: Delusional __(Claims to be an 'Alexandrian' knight. Says she is looking for a lord to serve.)_

_#12: Sora: Lost __(Ignore him as well. He will speak of mermaids, pirates, ducks, mouses, and other ridiculous tales.)_

* * *

Squall turned the paper over again, quickly.

**_"...Matron...what have you done?"_**

* * *

_ I've watched Squall accompany Ms. Tilmitt on a morning jog for far too long, so I intended to impose, however, things were not meant to be it would seem.__ My plans were foiled by Instructor Trepe this morning just as I was on my way to success.__ While Trepe has not shown any direct hostility yet, I am expecting it to come my way at some point. No matter, I wa able toconverse with Squall yet again. I find that talking with him is gradually becoming easier for me, however, holding myself back when I am around him is also becoming progressively more difficult. I'm frustrated, I'll admit. Hearing him speak of Ms. Heartily only serves to make that feeling burn more fiercely. I long to do more than watch him, but alas, it will be long before it becomes possible. A new development will work for my benefiit though. With enough persuasion, I will be able to study under Squall without difficulty. This will increase my time to savor his presence if Instructor Trepe does nothing to interfere._

_ On a side note, I have decided to work on a small project. A small statue of my beloved commander would do well to find its place on my shelf. I am inspired. I will work on it right away. Perhaps a visit to the Shumi village is in order..._

_-Stalker's Log- September 16th-_

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *


	4. Disturbance

**_Disclaimer_**: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

**_Chapter Four: The Stalker's Peers _**

_By Traingham_

* * *

Squall was a young man who had done quite a few things in his life that others would find impossible. He's taken on beasts ten times his size, battled against hordes of men on his own, dodged bullets on occasion, lived through being impaled by a spear of ice, lead a war successfully, fought the god of death, fought against the dangers of space to save his girlfriend, slain color coded aliens, mysteriously got away unscathed from a prison break gone wrong, which might I add, should have been impossible considering that there was a vacuum of sand and wind circulating below him...ahem...lived through a Malaboro's bad breath, along with others things to add to the list. Quite an impressive resume, however, the idea of socializing with others on a regular basis was something he would much rather shy away from. Ironically, that challenge was now upon him due in courtesy to a woman who supposedly adored him to death. That would be neglecting to mention that the very students that he would have under his tutelage for an undetermined period of time, had more issues than he did. Reviewing that attendance sheet made that fairly knowledgeable to him.

"Pyromaniac? Delusional? Multiple personalities?" Squall could not believe what he just read. "These candidates don't need me. They need the most capable force of psychiatrists on this planet. What is Edea thinking, forcing me into such an unstable situation?" The commander massaged his temples, closing his eyes. "I'm going to set up an accident for Cid if this continues."

"Grumble, grumble." Squall looked up when he heard a feminine voice speak to him. There standing before his desk was a young woman wearing a white uniform with the SeeD emblem on her breast pocket. She had long brown hair, braided into a pony tail that fell down to her waist with a pink ribbon wrapped in her hair. Some of her hair fell over her shoulders, and she had two oddly long, arching bangs hanging over her brilliant, green eyes. He found that her orbs held a serene quality, yet at the same time there was something about them that left an ominous feeling lingering in his mind. The innocent smile that graced her pink lips only served to make that feeling stronger. Who was this young woman, and how was she able to enter his office without his knowledge? The only individual who was capable of such a feat so far was, Fujiin.

Squall narrowed his eyes at the mysterious woman, asking, "What did you just say?"

"Grumble, grumble." The young woman replied. "That is all you seem to do."

"...How long have you been in here?"

"Long enough to hear you grumbling to yourself." She replied with another smile. "I'd assume that'd be obvious."

"And who are you?" Squall asked, already feeling irritated by her presence. _There's something disturbing about her, but I just can't quite place my finger on it._

"I'm one of your students, Instructor Leonhart."

Squall shifted in his seat uncomfortably. _Xu told me that I would be holding my first class today, but this was much faster than I'd anticipated. What the hell does she expect me to do with no lesson plan? _"...Where are the others?" He asked her, closing his record book to keep any wandering eyes from viewing the details.

"Getting settled in their dorms." She replied.

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to see you."

_Damn, that smile is so wrong..._

"Who directed you here?" Squall found himself beginning to sweat under the tension this girl was emanating from her.

"No one." She answered him, much to his shock. "I just found my way."

_What kind of person finds this office with no prior knowledge of it? This is the MD Level of the garden. _After Norg and the unpleasant organ music that accompanied his presence had been taken away from the garden, Cid had the entire floor redone to fit the commander's need for an office. It was fairly spacious for when there was a Garden Meeting for all the higher ups, and private, but most of all, it was quiet, just how Squall liked it. It still retained the eerie glow that the floor lights provided, but that was something the the young commander appreciated. It gave the office a defining quality, and the sound of the elevator would usually alert him ahead of time when someone was coming to pay him a visit, but lately that was becoming harder to listen for. He wondered what might have been the cause for that.

"What is your name?" He inquired, making sure to make not of her in the future. He had the feeling that he would have to look out for her whenever he was alone. She seemed like the nosy type. Ironically, he never took Fujiin into account.

"Aerith Gainsborough." She replied with a slight bow. "A pleasure to meet you."

"...Right." Squall mused.

_She stared at him silently..._

_...He stared back._

"I have something to do." Squall told her, hoping it would drive her away.

"I don't mind waiting." Aerith told him before she took a seat.

"Don't you have something better to do?" The commander growled.

"You don't smile much, do you?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

_She changed the subject._ Squall narrowed his eyes at her. "So?" He asked before he heard a knock at the door, causing him to blink. What was going on today? Why were so many visitors coming to his office today? "Come in." He called out to the latest visitor before locking eyes with his meddler again. Why wasn't this woman taking a hint?

"Morning, Squall!" Rinoa greeted him, walking into his office with her usual perkiness. That all came to a halt, however, when the lovely Ms. Heartily set her sights upon the other visitor in the room. She walked further into the office to get a better look at her boyfriend's unexpected guest to find an equally lovely face looking back at her, if not even lovelier. What the heck was Squall doing alone with her? "Um, am I interrupting an important meeting?" She asked, pointing at Aerith.

"No." _She's not even welcome. She forced her stay._

"Hello." Aerith greeted Rinoa. "Nice to meet your acquaintance."

_So well spoken..._The resistance leader inwardly winced, before saying, "The pleasure is all mine." _Can't let her seem like she's far out of my league._

"And you might be?" Aerith trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Rinoa asked, quirking a brow.

"Your relation to, teacher." Aerith asked pleasantly with another smile.

_It's that smile again._ Squall thought, feeling a chill.

"Well, I'm his girlfriend." Rinoa replied, almost proudly.

"Ah." Aerith's eyes widened slightly at the response, and she stood up from her seat much to Squall's relief. That work out easier than he thought. "Then forgive me. I don't want to be in the way." With a slight bow to the young commander, she walked to the door of his office before turning to him to say, "I will see you at class then, Instructor Leonhart." She offered him one final smile and left, closing the door behind her.

"Finally." Squall mumbled, slipping off his glasses.

"She's nice...I think." Rinoa commented, crossing her arms with a quizzical expression upon her features before she turned her attention back to her boyfriend. "So, instructor Leonhart, you're teaching a class now? Well, Cid just seems to have all sorts of things for you to do these days, huh?"

"He's taking advantage of me, every opportunity he gets." Squall replied.

"Because you're so dependable." Rinoa told him, walking to the side of his desk with her hands held behind her back. She latched on to him when she was at his side, wrapping her arms around his neck and pouted. "You know, there's this nice cafe in the town of Balamb that I've had my eye on."

"Really?" Squall asked, tapping the side of his glasses against the top of his desk. "So you want to go, right?"

"You got it." Rinoa told him, pecking his head. She buried her nose in his mane of hair, smelling faintly of last night's shampoo, and the commander pulled away from her.

"Well, I guess I have to report to the classroom." Squall said, getting up from his seat. He pushed his chair back, and stepped around his desk. "What are you going to do right now?"

"I don't know..." Rinoa mumbled, tracing circles on the floor with her right foot. "Maybe I'll check out the new library that opened up in Timber."

"Take care, then." Squall told her before taking his leave.

"Right." Rinoa replied, waving him away before she looked to the seat that the odd young woman was sitting in. Sure, she seemed nice enough, but there was clearly something off about her. The look in her eyes were unnerving, and that smile...oh, that smile. "What type of people is Squall surrounding himself with? That girl was so weir..." She trailed off when she realized that someone was standing at the doorway, but how was that possible? She didn't even hear them come in after Squall left.

"F-Fujiin?" Rinoa felt her shoulders go tense at the sight of the eye patched woman. "What...are you doing here?"

"SQUALL?" Fujiin asked, wasting no time.

"He just left." Rinoa replied. _What exactly do you want with him?_

_"I SEE." _Fujiin nodded, turning to leave, but before she took another step, she gripped the frame of the entry way to stop herself. _Wait a moment, this may be the chance I was looking for. _The silver-haired beauty thought, stealing a glance at Rinoa over her shoulder. _The distance between a man and woman is as vast as that of a lake, no matter how close they appear to be. Sowing the seeds of doubt and temptation will be simple..._ _"My apologies." _Fujiin began, catching Rinoa off guard as she turned to face her. _"Forgive my rudeness."_

"Um...what?" Rinoa asked nervously as the other young woman approached her slowly. Why exactly was her text coming out so normally? Did she just step into the twilight zone? _Oh Hyne! What is going on here? Why is she getting so close? _The resistance leader looked for a way of escape. This was looking pretty risky. _Looks like I'm going to have to-_

_"Let us put our pasts behind us."_

"Fujiin? What do you mean?"

_"I would like you to see me as a friend."_ The conniving woman explained. _"You see, I'm tired of distancing myself from others. I watch you and the others together all the time, laughing and enjoying each others company, and I must confess that I hunger for such bonds of friendship."_

_Wow...she speaks so...poetically._ Rinoa was taken aback by what she was hearing.

_"I ask you...will you accept my friendship?" _Fujiin asked, extending her hand to the resistance leader.

_Hn...should I? I mean...there really isn't much of a reason not to but...she's so weird. _Rinoa looked into Fujiin's eye, unable to read her. "Well...why not?" She answered her, gripping the enigmatic woman's hand into a handshake. She missed the uncharacteristic grin that passed over Fujiin's lips briefly. It almost made her appear to resemble an imp.

_"Thank you."_ Fujiin said gratefully with a small smirk. _Your fate is sealed, Rinoa Heartily..._

* * *

"Well..." Quistis paused, crossing her arms as the transfer students came out of the dorms, donning their White SeeD uniforms. She watched them from the circular level that surrounded the main elevator of the garden with Xu beside her. "...They certainly are an interesting bunch, eh?" The blonde instructor asked her friend, watching as one of the transferred SeeDs, a young woman with short black hair, and a green head band that fell to her waist, twirled a sizable shuriken around her index finger with frightening ease.

"I would expect no less from, Edea." Xu said cheerfully.

"Do you think Squall will have any trouble with them?"

"Of course." Xu replied, showing absolutely no concern for the young commander.

"You don't seem to be bothered by that." Quistis observed, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Are you amused?"

"Watching Squall overcome problems is one of my favorite past times." Xu answered with a smirk. "It's truly inspirational to see a man who is cornered, fight against all odds to claim victory. I trust that commander Leonhart will do just that." _It will be spectacular._

"...You have that much respect for him, huh?"

"Let's just say, my life wouldn't be as entertaining without Squall around to keep me company in the garden." Xu replied much to Quistis's intrigue. "Though he may act cold, and distant, he is actually rather amusing to watch and talk to."

"Well, Xu has a dark side after all." The lovely Trepe laughed.

"Guilty." The mysterious instructor giggled.

"Heh, heh." Quistis laughed on before turning her head away from her friend to let out a trembling sigh. _Ooh, just got chills from hearing that. Xu sure can be creepy sometimes..._

_"Why are all of thse dead soldiers roaming the halls?!"_ Xu and Quistis turned their attention to one of the White SeeD candidates, a young woman with blonde-silverish hair, and wonderful eyes that were a color the two instructors could hardly make out. Despite her odd outburst, she appeared to walk the halls with a grace that some would expect from royalty...even if she happened to be walking on the tip of her toes, almost as if she was trying to keep her shoes from being soiled. _"My god, the blood is everywhere!"_

**_"Freaky."_** Xu and Quistis whispered to each other.

_**--**_

Squall entered his classroom, observing his surroundings. It wasn't all that impressive, but he didn't really care for the looks anyway. He never wanted to take up this responsibility in the first place. There were three rows of booths, each with two laptops for the students who would be seated in them. The floors were polished wood, reflecting anything or anyone that walked upon it. The entire back of the class was made of glass to offer the students a beautiful view of the dreaded Fire Cavern, and the ocean beyond it where words of promise would occasionally flash in a suspenseful sequence.

_Everyone got used to it. _

The desk that was provided for the instructor of the class wasn't all that different from any of the other ones that dominated the front of most Garden classrooms, and the front board was hologramic with a slot on its side that held the pointer for Squall to use. In short, it was an exact replica of Quistis's classroom due to the laziness of the creators. In fact some believed that there was only one classroom on the second floor, but we'll ignore that...ahem...

"Not impressive." Squall said to no one in particular, walking to his desk. He spied a small plaque on the front, directed towards the student's seats, and found his name on it in cursive, gold letters. _Cid works quickly, doesn't he?_ The young commander thought with a short growl before turning to his holo-board. He ran his fingers against it, and wolverine claw marks ran across in the trail he left despite the fact that he used four fingers. "...How old is this thing?"

He looked away from it when he heard approaching footsteps coming toward his classroom, and his stomach tightened. Already having a sample of the madness that awaited him from the young Aerith that paid him a visit earlier made him dread what was to come. If there were more like her in the band of students that Edea placed under his care, he would need to stock up on the Malaboro weed that Shaunty was selling around at the front gate.

"Whatever...I can handle them." Squall grumbled, assuming his place behind his desk once more before his students started pouring in. They all wore the White SeeD uniforms just like the unpleasant bunch he met on the ship long ago. It almost made him want to punch something, however, he was expecting a little something more. They all appeared to be normal to him as they took their seats with the exception of the girl with a green headband wrapped around her forehead, or the dark looking young woman with the mog doll clutched in one arm, or the young man with his SeeD jacket open, revealing his chest for all to see, or the bald, light skinned young man with shades and...that wasn't the SeeD uniform. Why was he wearing a suit for?

_Hmm...I take that back._ Squall corrected himself.

_They all stared at him..._

_...He stared back._

There was an awkward silence as this went on for a few more minutes before Aerith stood up from her seat, making all of the other students flinch.

_Wait a second._ Squall quirked an eyebrow at the other student's reaction to her sudden movement. _Are they afraid of her?_

_"Teacher, perhaps you should introduce yourself."_ The angelic woman suggested, flashing him another one of her smiles.

"Right." Squall nodded. "...And sit down." He added when she remained standing.

_"Ok."_ She complied cheerfully.

"My name is-"

"LEON!" Squall turned his attention to a young man in the center, second row, sitting beside another young man with short blonde hair, who had a cigarette in his mouth. He had spiked hair that went in pretty much every direction, and blue eyes. The commander also noticed a crown like chain around his neck. "Oh man, what are you doing here?! Did you cut your hair?!"

"...What?" Squall's expression went from confused to irritated.

"Come on, don't you remember me?!" The young man stood up, waving his arms animatedly. "It's me, Sora!"

_Edea warned me that something like this would happen. _"No. Now take a seat." Squall ordered him coldly.

"But-ah-Hollow Bastion? Ringing a bell here?"

"No. Take a seat." Squall repeated himself.

"...You're so cold..." Sora muttered dejectedly, doing as he was told.

"Yer' a damn fool." The young man beside Sora muttered to him around his cigarette.

"Hey." Squall called his attention.

"Whaddya want?"

"What's your name?"

"Name's, Cid Highwind." The young man replied, placing his hands on his hips with a chuckle. "You'd best remember that name, ya reckon?"

"Fine." Squall nodded. "There's no smoking though. Put that away."

"I ain't puttin' away shit."

_...Am I going to have to hurt somebody already?_ The commander let out a cold chuckle. "Let's try that again-"

"Wait!" The girl with the green head band halted Squall, getting up from her seat. "Just give me a second!" She told him before she walked over to Cid, and pulled back an open hand to slap him across the head as hard as she possibly could.

_What the..._ Squall's eyes widened slightly at her unexpected solution. He watched as Cid blinked a few times before his mouth fell open almost as if he was in shock for a few seconds. Then out of nowhere-

"Hm?" Cid's demeanor suddenly went from laid back to almost regal. "What is this offending stick doing in my mouth?" He picked up the cigarette from his lap and crushed it before looking to Squall with an apologetic look. "My apologies instructor. My name is, Cid Fabool." He stood up with a bow. "A pleasure to meet you, sir."

"And my name is, Yuffie." The young woman who delivered the smack called Squall's attention. "Sometimes I need to put him in line." She explained to the young commander with a grin before her eyes zeroed in on the Griever ring on his fingers. "Ooh..." Squall noticed that she appeared to be restraining herself from approaching him. "What a beautiful ring."

Squall looked at his ring for a moment before looking back at her. "...You like it?" _Hm, she has good taste._

"I LOVE IT!" Yuffie exclaimed, her hands twitching. "C-Can I see it?"

_Stiiiiicky fiiiingers..._ Edea's voice echoed in the commander's mind at that very moment. "No. Take a seat." Squall suddenly said uncomfortably.

"Just a peak!" Yuffie persisted, putting her hands together in a pleading gesture.

"No." Squall declined again, massaging his right temple. "Take a seat, please."

When things settled down, Squall cleared his throat and fixed them all with a cold stare. This was starting to seem as difficult as he originally imagined it to be. "As I was saying before, my name is Squall Leonhart. I'll be your professor for that basics in SeeD knowledge, along with other subjects. I don't know who will be your instructor on the field, but I am to prepare you for what lies ahead." Squall stopped for a moment when he noticed Aerith fixing him with a smile."Ahem...I will teach you how to render the strongest of creatures defenseless with abnormal statuses, how to vanquish an undead foe without using your weapons, how to effectively treat yourself if you incur serious injury, and even how to catch a Chocobo...if we ever reach that point in the class. It is also my duty to teach you of the types of Guardian forces you might come across, and stuff like that."

_Hmph. I guess that wasn't all that bad._ Squall thought to himself with a slight smirk. "So, are there any questions?"

_The student in the blue suit and shades raised his hand stiffly..._

"Yeah?"

"What are the chances of death, sir?"

"...I don't think there is any chance of death." Squal replied hesitantly. "What's your name?"

"Rude." The student replied.

"Do you have a last name?"

"Turks don't have last names." Rude replied.

"Fine." Squall nodded. _Whatever..._

"Actually, I have a question for you as well, Mr. Leonhart." A young woman sitting at the very front of the left row called his attention. She had short, cropped blonde hair, and green eyes that seemed to burn brightly at him, but what caught Squall's attention most was the small lighter that she gripped in one hand. What the hell was she doing with one of those in her hand? Didn't she know that was a little dangerous? That is, of course, disregarding the fact that fire was also an easily casted spell, but whatever.

"What is it?" Squall asked. _Well, she doesn't seem so bad. She appears almost disciplined..._

"Do you feel our bodies communicating with each other?" She asked.

"...Excuse me?" Squall raised an eyebrow curiously. _The hell? Is she hitting on me?_

"Do you feel hot?" She went on.

"Maybe a little..." Squall replied, crossing his arms.

"Our mitochondria are speaking to each other. Perhaps we may get along fine...or maybe not."

"...And your name is?"

"Aya Brea." She replied.

"Ah, yes, Brea." The student behind her said her name in a mocking tone of voice. He was a handsome young man with slicked, silver hair that spiked at the ends with violet eyes. He had a haughty demeanor, leaning back on his chair with a smirk that reminded Squall a lot of Irvine Kinease. "A woman with no taste for true music." He looked to Squall, the smirk never leaving his face. "Tell me, fine sir. Do you have an ear for opera?"

_This must be the opera guy that Edea was talking about. _"Sure." Squall replied, placing a hand on his hip. "I don't mind it much."

"Shut up Setzer, before you get burned." Aya snapped at him, narrowing her eyes imperceptibly.

"See, no class." Setzer remarked with a smooth chuckle. "So unlike Maria. Now Maria was a woman worth stealing."

"I'll kill you..." Aya growled.

"Just settle down." Squall broke them up before setting his sights on Setzer. "And your name is?"

"Setzer Gabbiani." He replied with a slight bow of his head. "Perhaps I'll lend you some of my opera collection. You sir, have potential."

_Potential for what?_ Squall thought grimly. _Well, this is just getting weirder the further it runs on. _He ran his hand through his hair, turning away from his students for a moment before turning around to find-

"Fujiin?" Squall resisted the urge to flinch back at the sight of her, sitting at the front of the center row of booths beside the gloomy looking young woman with the mog doll clutched in one arm. She simply stared back at him as though her presence was natural. "...When did...you get here?" _I swear, she's a ninja._

"_JUST NOW."_ Fujiin replied, dead panned.

"Hey, you're pretty good!" Yuffie praised her from her seat in the back.

"I don't understand." Squall said quizzically, blinking. "Are you supposed to be here?"

_"YES."_ Fujiin nodded.

"But I don't remember seeing your name on my attendance list." Squall said suspiciously.

_"There was one seat free in your class."_ Fujiin explained. _"The Headmaster decided to have me placed in here."_ She lied.

"...Fine." The instructor accepted her response. _At least I have one normal person here..._

* * *

_**--**_

_**Turning to the Quad, after classes... **_

_**--**_

* * *

Xu descended the two flight of stairs that lead down to the Quad to find Squall sitting on one of the benches, facing the waterfall. She missed the way the bushes behind Squall shook when she approached him.

"Instructor Leonhart." Xu began as she usually did when she spoke to the lone wolf. "Good afternoon." She greeted him cheerfully, taking the spot beside him on the bench.

"What do you want?" Squall asked, sparing her the pleasantries.

"Ah, is the commander in a foul mood?"

"...Whatever." Squall muttered.

"Apology accepted, Squall." Xu said, patting him on the shoulder. "So...how was your first class?"

"Sometimes I wonder if Ultimecia really left Edea's body." Squall answered her question indirectly.

"That bad?" Xu asked, furrowing her brows, feigning a bit of concern. "Well, I'm sure you'll be able to overcome it. You are Squall Leonhart, after all."

"You say that like it means something." The lion retorted cynically.

"Oh, but it does." Xu insisted. "It does." She repeated herself with a brief smirk so the commander wouldn't catch it on her lips. She folded her hands on her lap and shifted on the bench so that her entire body was facing him. "So anything interesting to note about your students?"

_Why are you so nosy?_ Squall thought, glancing at her for a moment to scowl. "Aren't you busy, Xu?"

"Actually, no, I'm not." Xu replied, purposely reacting obliviously to his curt words. "Come on. Contrary to what others might say about me, I don't bite."

"I do." Squall retorted.

"I can take care of myself." Xu assured him, placing her hand on his shoulder much to his building discomfort. "So talk to me."

"...Fine..." Squall submitted to her with a sigh. "All of my students have issues that are beyond me at this point. Some of them are tolerable, but so far I have a student with multiple personalities, a klepto who believes that she is a ninja, some guy who claims to have known me in the past, and a girl who believes that burning her problems will make them go away." Squall shook his head. "Those are the only students I really spoke to so far in the time I spent with them. "There's a guy in the back of the class who can't seem to keep on his shirt, and there's a gloomy girl at the front of my class that just looks at me without a word, clutching a mog doll."

"Sounds like an interesting bunch." Xu commented. "You're lucky."

"How so?" Squall asked with a scoff.

"You're bound to have an interesting year ahead of you." Xu replied.

"By the way..." Squall started off, piquing Xu's interest.

"What is this? Is Squall starting a new conversation?" The mysterious instructor acted shocked.

"Anyway," Squall brushed off her sarcasm, "Did you direct a girl to my office earlier this morning?"

"...No. No, I didn't." Xu answered him.

_That girl, Aerith, wasn't kidding. There seriously is something off about her. _The young commander thought to himself, narrowing his eyes.

"Why do you ask?"

"I got a weird visitor this morning." Squall replied.

_The bush behind them shivered..._

"I see." Xu nodded absently. "Was she nice?"

"...She was something..."

As the two instructors spoke together, they were unaware of another pair of eyes upon them beside the ones in the bush. To be more specific, they were more set upon the commander than his fellow instructor. There at the top flight of steps that lead down to the Quad, a young woman dressed in the normal Balamb Garden uniform smiled pleasantly at the sight of Squall. She found that she liked him very much. He was so unlike anyone else she had ever come across before, and she suddenly had an insatiable desire to know more about him. He was indeed a special person. He was much like a lone flower in a garden, standing proudly despite being shrouded in the shade.

_"Instructor Leonhart."_ Aerith said his name cheerfully. _"We'll have a wonderful year together,"_ She cocked her head to the side, the smile never leaving her face, _"Won't we?"_

* * *

_**--**_

Fujiin suddenly felt a chill run through her spine as she spied the commander through the bushes.

_What is this sudden urge to kill?_

_**--**_

* * *

_Matters with Headmaster Cid went surprisingly smooth much to my pleasant surprise. It appears that everything is going according to plan for some reason. Could it be that Hyne is finally rewarding me for my boldness? I returned to my commander's office to deliver the good news to him, only to find Ms. Heartily, my one true enemy simply lounging about the place. Speaking with her was very difficult, however, I managed to do it without throttling her. In fact, a wonderful idea came to mind as I watched her naive eyes study me with fear. Being close to her will make my plans to claim Squall much easier...ah, shivers run through me. _

_-Stalker's Log, September 16th_-_** LOG ONE...**_

**_--_**

_I have finally found entry into my commander's domain. Here my studies will be much more enjoyable as opposed to being under Instructor Trepe's wing as it was originally intended, however...there is something about my classmates that leaves an irksome feeling lingering within me even as I write now. The young women in this class aren't of the average variety within the garden. I can tell that they hold a cleverness and a charm that is rare to find. In fact, perhaps even equal to mine. That will prove to be very troublesome if they suddenly find eyes for my precious, Leonhart. Then there is the young woman that goes by the name of Aerith...I can already tell immediately that I may have to dispose of her immediately._

_She is...disturbing..._

_-Stalker's Log, September 16th-__** LOG TWO...**_

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

_No, this story will not get dark...well, I hope not...  
_


	5. Only Temporary

**_Disclaimer_**: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

**_Chapter Five: The Insider's Log_**

_By Traingham_

* * *

It didn't take long for the student's of Balamb Garden to realize that there was a group of new students walking among them. The transfer students from Edea's orphanage were about as discreet about their activities as an internet pop up add during an inappropriate download. From Setzer's attempt at recruiting girls for the new choir he was setting up, to Aya's love for burning Grats to a cinders in the training center without the assistance of magic, news about the peculiar group of White SeeDs were making headlines in the gossip news running around in the Cafeteria, and the Quad. Meanwhile, Squall found himself quite busy trying to keep them out of trouble. Apparently, when Edea said that they were in his care, that meant that everything they did in the garden would come back to him. Cid was more than happy to have them sent to his office when a student complained about their behavior, putting him in odd situations with them when they wanted to talk. There was even a time when Squall had to accompany Yuffie to the Cafeteria to ensure that she wouldn't pick pocket any of the people she walked by. He would later find out that one of his belts had been stolen from him as he was sitting with her when he found it wrapped around her waist during their second class together. Life had taken a rather interesting turn for the lone wolf since they'd been forced into it.

Squall scribbled in his record book, reporting another incident from one of his special students as two of them had a seat in the chairs before his desk. In one sat Ashe, sent to his office for sending a young woman into a state of depression when claiming that she had seen her dead mother standing beside her in the library, while Aerith sat in the other, simply there to keep him company, despite the commander's obvious discomfort with her presence. Twice, he had ordered her to leave his office and go along with her own business, only to have the subject changed to the question of why he had a fondness for the color black, and the fact that he needed to associate with his students, and fellow instructors much more. The young woman was also very persistent on walking with him whenever she caught him on his way somewhere, which happened to be almost all the time. The young commander was beginning to feel as though he had a stalker.

_"Che!"_

Squall looked up from his papers to face both girls after hearing the sneeze. It almost sounded as though it came from behind him.

"That was actually impressive." He complimented, much to both their confusion.

"What do you mean, Mr. Leonhart?" Ashe asked, her hands fidgeting upon her lap. For some reason, she felt very uneasy around the lion. Squall took note of it before, but he figured it was just because of her squeamish nature.

"We've done nothing." Aerith told him, crossing her legs.

Squall quirked his brows at them before turning around in his chair to face the bookcase behind him. "Wait a seco-"

* * *

_**--**_

_**-And you're on in 5, 4, 3, 2 ,1...**_

_Zell looks to the camera, an infirmary room clear in the background with Rinoa and Selphie visible. Occasionally Irvine's arm comes into view, flinching as if someone is hurting him. _

"Um, my relationship with Squall?" Zell cocks his head to the side, allowing it to rest on his hand in deep thought. After a moment of concentration, he sits up in his seat while Selphie, and Rinoa smile at the camera from behind him. "Well, at first we were kind of distant. I mean, I tried my best to get along with him, but the dude was sort of a scrooge at the time. Whenever I asked to get a peek at his gunblade, he'd glare at me and turn the other way; when I fought beside him in Dollet, I felt like we were both at two different paces."

_Zell pauses, listening to the person talking to him. He leans forward a bit to hear them a little more clearly. _

_Selphie, and Rinoa make funny faces at the camera from behind him._

"Well, er, he actually warmed up a bit on our first SeeD mission. Actually, he was a little mellower compared to how he was when we first met. Sure, he still acted like a jerk to me, but he was more willing to listen to what I had to say."

_He stops to listen again._

"What was that?"

_He turns his head so his ear faces the speaker._

"Oh, well, now we're pretty cool with each other. Sure, he still doesn't smile much, but he lets me hang out with him."

_Speaker talks again, cutting the martial artist off._

_Zell scowls while Rinoa, and Selphie narrow their eyes at the camera from behind him. Irvine, and Quistis step into view, shaking their heads before the blonde instructor smacks the cowboy's hand away from her waist._

"You mean those White SeeD members that he's teaching. Man, I haven't heard much from him ever since they came, but I'll tell you one thing..."

_Zell waves both of his hands in an amused manner._

"...Last time I saw him, he looked pretty pissed."

_**--**_

* * *

Squall sighed as he left the elevator to descend the steps that lead toward the directory that faced the lobby entrance. He looked to the right to see if Aerith was anywhere nearby before jumping back when the jogging boy rushed past him. How that little guy was able to keep up that steady pace without ever coming to a stop was beyond him. Now that he really thought about it, that kid never did stop, did he?

_...Best not to think about it._ He thought, turning to walk in the direction that the boy had come from, but instead of proceeding smoothly as he originally intended, he bumped into a light individual. "Fu-" Squall caught her in his arms when she staggered forward, which was odd when you thought about it since she should have stumbled backwards. "-jiin." He finished saying her name when she was secure in his hold. She didn't push away from him quickly, taking what fleeting seconds she could to get a good sniff of his shirt before looking up at him with her usual neutral expression.

"We need to stop bumping into each other like this." Squall told her, holding her away from him, doing his best to ignore the suspicion he was having about her leaning forward in his direction despite his efforts to hold her away.

_"A lot on your mind?"_ The stalking pro asked, slipping something into her back pocket without him noticing.

"Always." Squall replied, crossing his arms._ Unfortunately. It's the main reason why other people keep on asking.  
_

_"TRANSFERS?"_ She asked, referring to the White SeeD candidates.

"Yeah..." Squall replied gruffly, taking a moment to glance over his shoulder for one of the candidates in question. They always had a tendency to pop up when he least expected it, Rude being especially talented in that department. The self proclaimed _'Turk'_, whatever that was, appeared to take Squall's position as commander to heart. Squall almost lost count of how many times the young man approached him after class for his next _'assignment.' _The cold instructor originally believed that it was just his way of asking for extra training, however, when Rude brought him back the latest issue of Weapons Monthly all the way from the publishing building in Timber simply because he happened to mention not having it, things started to seem a little more complicated than he'd thought. "You already have a first hand look at what I have to put up with."

_"TRUE." _Fujiin nodded. She appeared to be a little fidgety after replying, running her hands down int the back pockets of her slacks before asking, _"Anything planned for tonight, then?"_

"...Don't know yet." Squall replied after a moment of hesitation. _Why do you want to know? Are you having trouble with the assignments I gave out this afternoon? With the answers that were coming out of your mouth, I'd think you were pretty sure about this stuff._

_They stared at each other in silence..._

"Bye." Squall told her when he saw that their conversation was going absolutely nowhere, but-

_"SQUALL."_ Fujiin spoke his name, stopping him again.

"What?" Squall asked, sounding a little annoyed.

_"Heartily mentioned a cafe..."_ It killed her to speak the woman's name, but in order for her night to run smoothly, he was going to have to make himself busy somehow. _"She sounded excited when she spoke about it."_

"...I almost forgot about that..." Squall mumbled to himself before turning back to Fujiin with a slightly apologetic expression. _I guess I shouldn't have reacted like that. _"...Thanks." Squall told her, missing the blush on her cheeks as she turned around to hide it.

_"LATER."_ With that last exchange, the enigmatic woman took her leave of him, walking past him with her head bowed slightly...or so she made it appear. She walked to the directory, and took cover behind it, peeking at him while he thought over how he was going to approach his girlfriend. Of course, since Fujiin had it all planned out, what followed her supposed leave was an entrance into the scene by Rinoa, and _'The girl with the ponytail'; _also affectionately known by the title of_ 'Zell's Girlfriend'. _At the sight of Squall, Rinoa's eyes burst with excitement and she rushed over to him happily, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Heeey!" Rinoa cried out childishly. "If it isn't, my lion!"

"Hi, Rinoa." Squall greeted her gently, a complete turn over from how he would naturally greet another person, and it made Fujiin bite her bottom lip. "You willing to come with me to town?"

"I'd never refuse you."

"Then let's get going then." He told her before looking to _'Zell's Girlfriend'._ She seemed a bit uneasy in his presence, holding her hands behind her back nervously. It wasn't anything new for him. Everyone had trouble keeping calm around him for some reason. He guessed they were afraid that he'd bite them in a sense. "Where's Zell?"

"Hm?"_ She_ blinked at him in confusion, pointing at herself.

Squall sighed before nodding to her. "Are you busy?"

"N-Not really." _She_ replied, trying not to grin at him like an idiot. "I've actually got nothing else planned. Zell's probably getting back from Deiling city right now." She missed how Rinoa scowled at the mention of that city. She just hated anything that reminded her of her father.

"Then let's go." Squall told her, walking past both women to head for the parking lot.

"Did he just..." _'Zell's girlfriend' _trailed off, looking to Rinoa for some sort of explanation for what just happened.

"Yeah." Rinoa answered her unspoken question as she placed a hand upon her shoulder with a little grin. "He's much nicer than everyone else makes him out to be." The resistance leader turned away from her friend to watch her boyfriend still walking. "We better get moving. He waits for no one."

_"Phase one..." _Fujiin watched the trio disappear into the parking area. _"COMPLETE."_

_N_ow...Fujiin slipped the key card to Squall's dorm room out of her back pocket, and looked at it admiringly. She studied the small photo of the commander posted at the right corer of the card before giving it a small peck. _...I have access to his private quarters. _If she had less self control, she would have been drooling from the endless possibilities at her fingertips. She could only imagine the sweet scent of her beloved upon his covers. Maybe if she was careful enough, she would be able to switch her bed covers with his and... _I better not allow myself to get carried away. Let me just make do with what I have so far._ _"YES."_

"Ooh." Fujiin blinked when she heard a voice come from above her. She looked up to find Yuffie hanging form the ceiling upside down. Quite a feat considering how incredibly high one would have to scale in order to tie down the cable she was hanging from. That aside, "Hey, Fuji." The tomboy greeted her casually, her black headband hanging low from the back of her head. She wasn't dressed in her White SeeD uniform anymore since classes had gone by a long time ago. Now she donned a white top that stopped at her midriff, exposing her belly button with a sleeveless, black jacket and shorts that kind of went a bit further than their name originally intended. She had no shoes on, most likely to get by on the halls quietly.

_"...FUJIIN." _Said woman corrected her. The thought that her classmate might have seen her in her worship of the card key sort of bothered her. She wasn't sure how loose the girl's lips might have been, and if it ever got to Squall, there would be blood. _"EXPLANATION?"_

"For why I'm hanging here?" Yuffie asked, doing her best to crack an innocent smile.

_Fujiin nodded..._

"Well," Yuffied grinned, scratching her head. It was a bit embarassing for her to admit this, but Fujiin didn't seem like the type to talk very much so she figured it wouldn't have been much of a bad idea to share her motives. "...Well..." A blush crept up on the wannabe kunoichi. "I guess you could say that I kind of admire Mr. Leonhart, you know? He's so cool and all...and he just sort of tolerates me more than anyone else I've ever met. So I figured I could just...you know...watch him." She caught the odd look that the eye patched woman gave her, and flailed her arms excitedly, "I-It's not as bad as it sounds, really! J-just a bad habit that comes with my stealthy nature."

_"TRULY?"_ Fujiin narrowed her eyes slightly at this revelation. _I had not anticipated this. She appears to have a liking for Squall as well...this won't go smoothly if there are more like her.  
_

"And looky here." Yuffie climbed down from her cable, unraveling it to extend the length she was hanging to come face to face with Fujiin, upside down. She snatched Squall's key out of the stalker's hand with the speed of a professional thief, and grinned like a scheming feline. "The key to our instructor's room. Now here's a treasure worth keeping. Hey..." Yuffie edged her face closer toward Fujiin's before she went on to ask, "You wouldn't have been planning to go in there without his permission, huh?"

_"NEGATIVE." _Fujiin replied, snatching it back. _"RETURN."_

"Aren't you the good Samaritan?" Yuffie mocked, shifting from left to right, so that she was rocking from side to side like a pendulum. "You know..." She looked side to side to act as though she was looking out for any onlookers. "I think we both might have the same thing in mind with this little door opener. Whaddya say?"

_The kunoichi smirked wickedly..._

"I won't tell if you won't tell."

_Fujiin blinked..._

* * *

_**--**_

_**-And You're on in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...**_

_Selphie shifts in her seat uncomfortably, unsure of whether to cross her legs or not. The speaker motions for her attention and she puts on her best care-free smile. Zell and Rinoa are visible behind her, clearly having a heated argument._

"Well, erm... when I first met Squall, I had just tranferred to Balamb from Trabia so I was having a reaaally hard time getting around the place. Like, um, contrary to what the others might tell you, he was pretty nice to me when we first met. He was nice enough to show me around the Garden..well kind of...and that was the last time I saw him before I met him in Dollet. Ever since we've been together, fighting side by side..."

_Selphie begins to blush as she shifts in her seat again. Rinoa pokes Zell's nose in the background, hard, causing the young martial artist to clutch it in pain._

"You know...he's actually pretty sweet..."

_Selphie blinks as the speaker interrupts to say something._

_She scoots forward in her seat and runs her hand through her hair, smiling uneasily._

"...Are you serious?" _Her voice lowers to a whisper so he others can't hear her. _"I can't answer a question like that."

_The speaker insists that she answers._

_"_But..." _Selphie gestures to Rinoa with her eyes._

_The speaker assures her that the resistance leader will hear nothing about it._

"...Yeah...I do like him. I mean, like now...it wouldn't be possible because Rinoa already got her hands on him, and...I'm still trying to figure out if I should really end things with that stupid lug I call a boyfriend, but...I still get to spend time with him. Like- the other day-"

_Selphie stops her story when the speaker tells her that it's enough._

_The speaker present another question._

"The White SeeD transfers? I'm sure Squall can handle them. I mean, he is so extremely patient. You wouldn't believe what he has to go through on a daily basis, even without students to bother him." _Selphie leans forward to the camera with a sly look. _"Think about it. He has to put up with Rinoa everyday. That much speaks for itself."

_--_

* * *

Fujiin and Yuffie walked together down the hall that Squall's room was located on, side by side, in a casual manner so as not to arouse any unwanted attention, although that was kind of hard considering the fact that White SeeD members were the main talk of the Garden, so Yuffie caught almost every student's eye on the way to their destination. That, and few male students couldn't help, but turn their heads in the direction of both women. They were in a way, rare to come across. Now, if only they could come to understand what made them tick.

_"HERE." _Fujiin announced, stopping Yuffie in her tracks. The stalker slipped the card out of her back pocket and inserted it into the slot on the door before pulling it out quickly for the machine to read the I.D. They both couldn't help but smile when the security system identified them as the young commander, and opened for them. On cue, the victory tune filled the halls, almost blowing their cover.

"We should get in." Yuffied suggested.

_"AGREED."_ Fujiin nodded, leading the way into Squall's dorm room. When the sensor read no more bodies entering the room, the door closed behind them with an audible click. They were in.

Yuffie's eyes immediately took on a childish gleam as she ventured into the sleeping quarters of the commander's room. Fujiin clenched her hand into a tight fist behind her back at how forward the ninja was, but said nothing about it, designating the bathroom as her first destination. Surely, she would be able to find some souvenirs there to take back home.

_Although it would be a shame if that interloper somehow made away with something juicy. _The silver-haired woman inwardly frowned, doing her best not to think about what Yuffie may have been doing in Squall's bedroom, but as she made her way to the bathroom, she found that her legs felt heavier. Damn her! Squall was her own to claim. The last things she wanted to do was share him with another woman.

_"TOLERANCE..." _Fujiin mumbled to herself, willing her legs to lead her into the bathroom. _"SELF-CONTROL."_ She chanted softly before her eyes zeroed in on the towel hanging from the rack beside the shower chamber. Her eyes narrowed mischievously at the sight of it, and she rushed to it quickly before taking it into her hands and lifting it to her face.

**_Sniff-sniff..._**

A blush spread along her entire face at the scent of Squall's subtle cologne. She tossed the towel around her shoulders, and turned to the small cabinet beside the toilet to get a replacement towel and set it over the rack to subsitute her well earned prize. when the evidence of her theft was well taken care of, her eyes swiveled over to the bath chamber.

_He wouldn't check for finger prints...would he?_ She thought to herself, her hand trembling with anticipation as it neared the handle to the glass door. _"DOUBTFUL."_ She concluded before doing as she wished. The chamber was nothing fancy, not that she expected Squall to be the type to lavish it with custom works. A shower head looked down upon her from the wall across from her, and utility shelves were built into the corners for soaps, shampoos, lotions, and the works. A look at the floor, however, revealed a symbol that resembled a lion. Squall did love his lions...but enough of that! There was still much business to attend to.

_The scent of his hair._ Fujiin thought giddily, reaching for the bottle of Squall's shampoo. She opened the tab and squeezed the bottle to get a bit of the clear substance in the plam of her hand before sniffing it, closing her eyes with a smirk. _"MINE."_ She said possesively, tucking the bottle into her back pocket. She slipped out of the chamber, closing the door carefully, and left the bathroom to head to the bedroom and see what Yuffie was up to. Knowing her peculiar tendencies, she inwardly expected to find the ninja with a bag of the commander's things slung over her shoulder, however, upon entering the room of her beloved, she saw something that almost cracked the stoic mask she did so well to maintain on her lovely visage.

"Hm, hm, hmmmm." Yuffie hummed casually, hefting the case holding Squall's gunblade onto her shoulder. When she sensed Fujiin's eyes on her, she turned around slowly to face her partner in crime and offered her a quick smile. "Heh, heh. Sweetness, huh?" She asked, tapping the black case with a metallic clank.

_"VERY NOTICABLE."_ Fujiin commented, crossing her arms.

"You think so?" Yuffie mused, stroking her chin with her free hand. After taking a moment to think it over, a look of disappointment washed over her features and she set the case down against the wall, where it belonged. "Man...it's so awesome too..." The ninja groaned before shurgging her shoulders. "Well, I've got what I wanted anyway."

_"WHAT?"_ Fujiin asked curiously.

"His belts." Yuffie giggled, unzipping her jacket to reveal two of Squall's favorite, brown belts fastened around her chest in an 'X' formation. "I always liked that way it looked on him so...why not me, eh?" She struck a pose, crossing her arms much like Squall did with a gruff expression before breaking out into a laugh. "These are a keeper."

_"...FINE." _She finally muttered after a moment of hesitation. _There are other things of interest, anyway..._

**_Knock, Knock..._**

_Fujiin and Yuffie looked at each other quickly._

_"Hey, Squall?"_ Quistis's voice rang from the other side of the door.

"It's instructor Trepe." Yuffie whispered to Fujiin as though that information wasn't already clear from hearing her voice. "I wonder what she wants with Mr. Leonhart at this hour."

_Most likely in need of small talk._ Fujiin thought, rolling her eye at the thought of the blonde instructor until-

**_CLICK..._**

_"**SHE HAS THE KEY?"**_ Both Fujiin and Yuffie gasped, looking around quickly for a place to hide. Both women bumped into each other at the first move for cover before shoving each other out of the way to make themselves scarce. Yuffie kicked off from the wall and hid in the upper left corner of the room , just above the door. Fujiin finding the closet inadequate, rolled under the bed and curled into a ball in the darkest corner, against the wall, Squall's towel wrapped around her face to conceal her identity just in case Quistis happened to catch her.

_What is Trepe doing, coming into Squall's room without his permision?_

* * *

**_--_**

**_-And you're on in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..._**

_Xu crosses her legs as she folds her hand upon her lap, her usual professional smile gracing her lips. Quistis, and Selphie are visible in the background, seated side by side, having a conversation. A moment later Zell can be seen clutching his side, limping away from a clearly annoyed Rinoa._

"Instructor Leonhart, and I were friends before I passed my SeeD exam. Afterward I found it very hard to meet with him since he was still striving to qualify for his exam at the time and he wasn't much of a people person to begin with, however, when he did graduate, we saw quite a bit of each other. I remember watching him break through enemy lines at Dollet." _Xu raises her head, looking away from the camera as she thinks back to that day. _"I'd have to admit that it was exhilarating, watching him dance between the boundaries of life and death without ever missing a beat. Sure, Seifer clearly had an agression that stood out much more than our dear commander, however, Squall had a grace...an...an art in his style of combat that just mesmerized me."

_Xu stops to allow the speaker to talk, studying them with an expression that exhibited her cleverness._

_When the speaker is done asking their next question, Xu's lips curl into a smirk._

"Why, yes, I do like Instructor Leonhart. While others may shy away from him due to his cold nature, I find that I recieve it in a different manner. I'm actually drawn to his personality. You see, while he does not communicate with words very often, I find that studying his eyes can tell you a lot about what he's thinking. when he's annoyed, angry, disturbed, or even tired." _Xu chuckles. _"A very dynamic individual indeed. Of course, he isn't exactly hard to look at either. Whether he is in action, or standing still, Squall Leonhart is a sight to behold."

_Xu uncrosses her legs after she's finished speaking, and runs her hand down the skirt of her instructing uniform to smooth out any of th wrinkles._

_She raises an eyebrow when the speakers asks their next question, and crosses her arms._

"Well, I'm sure that Edea meant no harm when she sent the White SeeD candidates to study under, Squall. They are quite an intriguing bunch, aren't they? Cid doesn't seem to be concerned about them, and from what I've seen, Squall has been handling them rather well. Of course, I would assume that the trouble would really begin when they find themselves getting comfortable around our dear commander." _Xu covers her mouth, giggling sinisterly. _"Instructor Leonhart is in for an experience..."

**_--

* * *

_**

_"Hmm." _Fujiin heard Quistis hum to herself as she entered Squall's sleeping quarters. She saw the blonde instructor's leather boots move along the floor in the direction of the bed and started to feel her heart pump a little faster.

_Being caught by the instructor in this compromising position wouldn't bring very good results. More importantly, should she really have the key to this room? What business does she have here anyway? _The stalker shrunk even further into the corner, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Of course, Fujiin had no right to talk about Quistis since she broke into the room as well, but she felt that her actions were justified. After all, her and Squall were destined for each other...

_"Ah, here we go."_ Fujiin heard the instructor exclaim before she heard a drawer being pulled open. _"I hope Squall doesn't mind if I borrow some pajamas from him. I really should have just washed my clothes last night, but with all of these responsibilities that Cid keeps piling up on us instructors...oh, he still has these?" _Her final words indicated that she found something.

_I wonder just what she found..._ Fujiin thought curiously.

**_Shfff..._**

_Sounded a bit like Yuffie._

_"What was that?" _Fujiin's eyes widened slightly when she heard the instructor go on alert. She watched as her boots turned in the direction of the door, but Quistis made no movement. _"...Weird...I-uh, better hurry up though. I don't want Squall to catch me in here." _There was the sound of shuffling clothes, and Quistis shut the drawer quickly. _"Shirt, and shorts...hey, these are actually kind of cute. I'm sure he won't miss them..."_

_THEFT! _Fujiin mentally snapped.

_"Maybe some socks would be nice..." _Fujiin watched the instructor's boots shift from side to side as if she was trying to decided whether to take a pair or not. After a moment of contemplation, her boots turned in the direction of the door and started off to leave. Fujiin held her breath, waiting for the door to open and close...

_...She left._

_"TENSE." _Fujiin said to herself, rolling out from underneath the bed.

"Tell me about it." Yuffie concurred, dropping from the wall in the guest room. She entered the sleeping quarters again, and gave Fujiin a short salute. "Well, adios. I think I've had enough excitement for one day. Besides-" The ninja patted her chest proudly. "I've gotten what I came for. Heh, maybe I'll score his ring one day, if you know what I mean."

_"RATHER NOT."_ Fujiin replied honestly.

"Nice working with ya, partner." Yuffie said with a smile, turning away from her to make for the door. "I'll see ya in class tomorrow. Don't get greedy." With that, she opened the door and dashed out of sight before it closed.

_"FINALLY."_ Fujiin said to herself before setting her sights on Squall's bed. _"It hasn't been made..." Meaning there won't really be much evidence if I lay on it. _With that in mind, Fujiin did just that. the quiet woman sat on the bed and rolled on to her back, pulling the covers up to her chin. _"SO RELAXING."_ She cooed, snuggling her head into his pillow. This would all be so much nicer if the owner of the bed accompanied her. She wouldn't have mind if it went even further than that.

_"SQUALL..." _she closed her eyes, whispering his name.

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

**_CLICK..._**

_"OH HYNE."_ Fujiin's eyes snapped wide open when she heard the door to the room click. Could it have possibly been Quistis, back for those accursed socks, or even worse...Squall, himself?! Fujiin wasted no time in pondering such matters, throwing the covers off of herself before rolling to the floor, and rolling under the bed in one smooth motion that left her right arm hurting from the fall. _"NO." _She almost freaked when she realized that the shampoo bottle slipped out of her back pocket when she fell, reaching out for it to snatch it out of sight just in time to keep the commander from getting a glimpse of it when he entered his room.

_"I'm glad that's over." S_he heard Squall say, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was to himself or to an extra guest. She hoped to Hyne that it wasn't the latter. _"Rinoa sure can talk when she has one of her girlfriends coming along, and to top things off...my card is missing. Good thing I had a copy in my office...but I wonder who might have found it."_

_There was a pause._

_"I hope Aerith didn't get her hands on it. She might break into my room just to annoy me."_

_He doesn't...suspect me? _Fujiin blinked before cringing when she felt Squall sit on his bed.

_"...I'll shower tomorrow..."_

_Squalls clothes dropped to the floor; his boxers included..._

_He sleeps in the nude?! _Fujiin had to stop herself from rolling out from underneath the bed.

It wasn't until the light turned off that she had come to realize something...

* * *

_I believe, I'm trapped..._

_-Stalker's Log, September 21st-_

_**--

* * *

**_

**To Be Continued...**

* * *


	6. Heat

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

**_Chapter Five: Rising Action_**

_By Traingham_

* * *

It was almost two o' clock in the morning, and Fujiin was spending her night in Squall's dorm room. If there was anything that she fantasized about most, it was usually something along those lines, however, being that the commander who usually '_ravaged'_ her lithe and moist body in those dreams was currently residing on the bed, where those activities were supposed to take place, while she happened to take her place underneath it; something was clearly not working in her favor. This was also to say that she obviously had not receive an invitation, so her inability to act upon the desires that frustrated her so, was natural. This not only frustrated her even more so than before, but also reminded her of her position in the odd relationship that she had with Squall Leonhart, the one that he was unaware of despite the fact that they met, saw, and spoke to each other every day. She had her limits while Rinoa Heartily, on the other hand, had no limits to what she could do with the man of her dreams. Fujiin could only watch from afar while Rinoa could close the distance. The stalker could only dream, where as the resistance leader could indulge in the sensual touches of reality.

_Life is cruel._ Fujiin thought to herself, looking up at the support box of the mattress. Only two layers separated her from the bare body of her beloved, and all she could do was cower in fear of being caught. With every light breath from his lips that brought tingles to her ears, she could only listen and nothing more. This was the worst torture she could possibly endure. Her iron will was all she could depend on to stop her from springing upon the unsuspecting commander. If that had been lost, no river; no chasm; not even that delicate threads of morale would be able to hold her back from giving into the primal urges that wracked her body even now. It was all so intense that she could not even allow herself to slip into the welcome arms of sleep. All she could think about was sweat, and damp covers, and-

_SELF-CONTROL! _Fujiin smacked herself before she could get consumed again. She looked to the side where Squall's clothes could still be seen, lying on the floor beside the bed. It had been nearly three hours since he had gone to sleep. Surely if there was any time for her to escape from this tense situation, it would have to be now while the darkness of sleep still weighed his mind from consciousness. This would be simple...yes...simple...

_"Simple..." _She repeated to herself, rolling out from under the bed, getting tangled in Squall's clothes in the process. This managed to make things a little complicated for her. Besides the fact that Squall's belts were making annoying little clinking noises from all the shaking she was doing in her efforts to release herself, Fujiin now found herself becoming quite aroused by her current predicament...wrapped like a tortilla in the very clothes that Squall had on just a few hours ago. She could swear that she could still sense his essence upon them. The warmth and the smell were all so intoxicating for her; This was like heaven. If she fell into a coma right now, it would take the hands of Hyne to revive her.

_NO! Don't give in. _Fujiin regained what last shreds of sense that were still within reach and did her best to untangle herself from the rapturous prison that had taken hold of her. She kept her eyes fixed to the bed the entire time she slipped free to check if the commander was visibly affected by any of it, but to her surprise he appeared to be as conscious of everything that was transpiring as Odin. That was to say, he did absolutely nothing. There was no movement, or indication of being disturbed by the racket coming from beside the bed.

_Odd..._ The intruder thought, standing up from the floor as quietly as she could with her towel gripped in one hand, and the bottle of shampoo in the other. The lights outside shined faintly through the half open shades of his room window, shining a thin ray of light upon the one feature of his face that happened to draw most of her attention.

_"His lips." _Fujiin whispered to no one in particular, her eyes narrowing with hunger. Yes, this might have been a trap. Yes, this could have simply been temptation, playing her like a dice in its own sadistic game of chance. Yes, this could all be avoided if she simply turned for the door, and made away for her escape, but at that moment, imagining herself covering those lips with her own, she just didn't give a damn. She dropped the towel on the floor along with the shampoo bottle in her other hand, and stalked to the edge of the bed. Leaning forward, she climbed on as lightly as she possible could and crawled over to him until she was hovering right over the sleeping lion. Even with the extra weight on the bed, Squall made no sudden movements to indicate any disturbance. Perhaps it was because his body was used to the feeling. After all, Rinoa did this sort of thing to him almost all of the time, Fujiin was sure.

_Squall..._ She lowered her face until her lips were less than an inch away from his. She felt his sweet breath caressing the delicate skin of her face, and she closed her eyes. This was it. She pressed her lips against his gently, feeling the softness give way for a little more force on her part. Before long she found herself kissing him, completely lost in the intensity of it all. She crooked her neck, turning her head to get an angle for both of their lips to better connect when something happened that made all of the hairs on her body stand up as though an electric current had passed through her.

Squall opened his mouth, his tongue slipping out gently to pass over her lips. Fujiin's uncovered eye widened until it almost appeared as though it would have rolled free from its socket. Her back arched when she felt his hands run along the top of her butt, over to her upper back where he held her to pull her body against his. His left knee raised up between her legs, and a wave of heat passed through the region that it pressed against. By that point she was so lost that she allowed her lips to part, giving access for his tongue to move in, tracing the sides of her mouth before pressing along her own tongue. There they both had their own personal dance, slipping around, over, and under each other until Squall closed his lips against her own for a final kiss. Fujiin broke away from it, slurping in the small string of saliva that was left between them softly, to lick her own lips. His right arm lost its hold upon her and went lax again, falling back to the mattress along with his left hand that had been fondling her and his left leg, which, seconds ago, had been applying some pressure between her own two.

_"Ah..."_ Fujiin let out a shuddering sigh of ecstasy as she moved away from him, trembling as if her body would give away at any second. The commander appeared to be out cold when she observed his face. Was that all from reflex, or was he having a pleasant dream? Right now, her mind wasn't in the state to think things through. All she could do was get off of his bed, and reach down for her prizes before stumbling over to the door like some drunken individual. She reached out for the handle with a shaky hand, managing to grip it properly after a few unsuccessful slips, and pulled it down to open the door. She looked over her shoulder one final time to look back at the entry way to Squall's bedroom before stepping outside, letting the door shut behind her as quietly as she could.

Fujiin looked both ways to check in anyone had been watching as she left the commander's room, only to find an empty hall. The only indication of any other students was the faint pounding of party music from a far away room.

_Got to….G-Get awa-a-ay from h-here…_ The woman couldn't even find the composure to allow her thoughts to process properly as she did her very best to put the appropriate distance between her and the door of Squall's room. When she was about five rooms away, miraculously managing to hold her own upon two wobbly legs, she allowed herself to stumble against a wall and slide down to the floor with a blank expression gracing her lovely features. Her silver hair feathered over her eyes as she raised her head to look up at the ceiling before letting out a shivering sigh.

_That was __mind-blowing__..._

* * *

_**-****And you're on in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...**_

_Quistis sits in her seat with perfect posture, her right hand reaching up to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose before bringing it together with her other to fold them upon her lap. She looks lovely in her pink blouse, and skirt; a chained belt hanging off from the side fashionably so. In the background Selphie holds Zell down in his seat while Rinoa lifts a ruler over his head before bringing it do-_

"Well, I'd say that my relationship with Squall is rather simple." Quistis starts out, brushing her left bang to the side so that it wouldn't remain in the way of her eye. "We've been together for most of our lives, from our time living together in Edea's orphanage to our transfer here to Balamb garden. Although he can get cold with me sometimes, we're pretty close to each other."

_The blonde instructor blinks, narrowing her eyes at the speaker in deep concentration._

"Do I know you from somewhere by any chance?"

_The speaker replies..._

"Oh...that's odd. I could have sworn that I'd seen your face before."

_The speaker presents another question._

"Um...well...yeah. I suppose I feel something for him." A blush begins to creep up on Quistis as she tries to hold still to her composure. "I mean, is it really so hard to believe that I would have some feelings for him? After all, we've been together for so long that it's hard not to feel this way. Originally I only wanted to be by his side to protect him, but...those feelings gradually developed into something...a little more intense."

_The speaker talks again after seeing that she's done on the matter._

_Quistis closes her eyes as she folds her arms._

"It was a surprise to find out that Squall would be assigned to a class. The original idea was that he would just serve as a combat instructor, but I suppose Cid and Edea came to a mutual agreement that he would advance further beyond that. What makes it more intriguing is the nature of the class studying under him. They're not even from Balamb, and to top things off...well...they are pretty odd."

_Quistis stops to listen to the speaker's next question._

"I believe that he'll be just fine. Squall isn't exactly so normal himself, if you think about it." _She laughs before settling down. She leans over slightly, narrowing her eyes again. _"Do you mind taking off those shades for a moment?"

_The speaker declines..._

* * *

**_[ The Following Day... ]_**

* * *

It was a wonderful day out on the green fields of Balamb Island. The wind blew across gently with a hint of the ocean, salt water carrying along with it. The trees from the small forests swayed back and forth, mostly from the monsters moving along within them, than the speed f the winds themselves. Even the brilliant orchestra playing the world map melody had gone an extra length to fit the mood perfectly.

Near the rolling waves on the beach sand of the island, Squall and his squad of White and Balamb SeeD candidates had begun another session of combat training.

"Good afternoon, class." Squall greeted them in his usual, near monotonous tone, standing in front of them with his back to the ocean. They all stood before him, dressed in their respective SeeD uniforms, in the formation he assigned to them all. Fujiin, Lulu, Cid, Aerith and Rude made the front row. Yuffie, Vaan, Lucinda, Auron and Beatrix made the second row, and Setzer, Ashe, Sora, Aya, and Katherine made the last row. The three rows were done like arrows pointing to Squall so that one person stood at the tip of the arrow while the other four made the wings, or arms; whichever you preferred if you're so hung up about it. Fujiin stood at the tip of her arrow, with Vann standing at the tip of his, and Aya leading her own.

"_**Good afternoon, Instructor Leonhart." **_They all greeted him back in unison, despite the discouraging tone of voice that their instructor's voice took on. It did not exactly sound like the voice of a person who was happy to see them every day, which wasn't exactly true since Squall naturally didn't have any feelings regarding the mater in the first place…ow…that actually stings even more.

Oh, yeah, since we're on the subject of the SeeDs…"Since we already know the basics of combat, we'll be going a little deeper into the battle system." Squall announced, the expression on his face never changing from its stoic mask. "You will come to understand how to utilize the spell, _Scan,_ and how to make the best use of it. That, of course, means to study the weaknesses of your opponent."

"_**Hey, I know all of Ashe's measurements now!"**_

"_**STOP SCANNING ME, VAAN!"**_

"Stop it…" Squall growled, setting the young man straight with command. He remained silent for a moment to let his words sink into their minds before asking, "Any questions?"

_Yuffie raised her hand high in the air, waving it back and forth excitedly…_

_Not you again. _Squall inwardly groaned, methodically letting his eyes pass over her, to the next candidate beside her. "No? No questions?"

"Mr. Leonhart!" Yuffie called out, hopping up and down. "Me! ME!"

"Then I guess we'll proce-"

"PICK ME!" Yuffie cried out, drowning out his last words. She grinned in satisfaction when Squall ran a hand down his face in irritation before crossing his arms to ask, "What do you want to know, Kisiragi?"

"Heh, heh." The ninja laughed, loving to have his attention on her. "When are you going to teach us about the Guardian Forces?"

"Well-" Squall began, but the kunoichi's question managed to arouse some more excitement from the others.

"I've actually been a little curious about them as well." Setzer announced his interest.

"What are those?" Sora asked, crossing his arms. "Are they friendly?"

"I've actually had a certain fascination with, Ifrit." Aya added, clicking her lighter on and off.

"Oh, don't you have a few junctioned to you, commander?" Aerith asked, eliciting excited gasps from the others.

_How…How did she know that? _Squall furrowed his brows upon hearing her claim. _Did she scan me? Wait, you can't get that sort of information through a scan…_

"We're not getting to that yet." Squall settled them down.

"Oh, c'mon!" Yuffie whined. "Just a peek!"

"…No."

"Are they like Eidolons?" Cid asked. "Those must be remarkable."

"Rude." Squall called the attention of the Turk.

"Yes, sir?" Rude responded, looking to the commander; the rays of the sun bouncing off his shades in a dramatic fashion.

"Smack him." Squall ordered.

"Affirmative." Rude nodded before walking up to Cid, and doing as he was told. He winded his hand back before letting it fly against the back of the blonde man's head with a resounding slap.

"AGH!" Cid doubled up, holding the back of his head in pain. He remained that way for a few seconds before he stood up straight again, still holding his head. His eyes suddenly held the wisdom of many years behind them, and his posture looked a bit fatigued, much like an old man. He held his hands behind his back, and observed his surroundings with a confused expression. "Where is this? This doesn't look like New York to me." _(Spirits Within…I know, it sucked.)_

"Ok." Squall continued. "This time we'll be engaging a stronger monster. It's important that all of you work together, so separate into your groups." At his command, the three rows separated from each other.

"Now…" Squall walked away from them, much to their curiosity. Why was he putting so much distance between them? "…remember that most combat situations will come at you from out of nowhere."

"Literally…" Auron mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Katherine asked him, poking her head out from the single file formation to regard him.

"Random encounters." Auron replied.

"What are those?" The raven-haired woman asked, blinking.

"An RPG element." Auron replied.

"…What the heck?" Katherine narrowed her eyes as though she didn't fully understand the meaning of his words… which she didn't. "This isn't a game."

"Keep telling yourself that." The odd young man told her gruffly.

_Diablos?_ Squall called on his GF.

_**What? I'm…tired… **_Came the deep, demonic voice of the bat-like guardian. From the way he sounded, he must have just woken up.

_You're always asleep. _The commander quipped.

…_**Just state your wishes…**_

_Let down your Enc-None barrier._

_**FINE…**_ Diablos growled, and-

"**RAAAARGH!"** Suddenly the three groups of SeeDs were faced with a hunting party of three T-Rexaurs, appearing from basically….out of nowhere. Also, being that we are following the game dynamics, there was only one limited to each party.

"Great Scott!" Cid cried out, jumping behind Lulu, causing the woman to roll her eyes at his cowardice. "Those aren't phantoms!"

"We must be seeing two completely different things then." Ashe quipped, drawing her sword from her waist. "There are dead people roaming everywhere."

"Just you, darling." Setzer told the delusional woman.

T-Rexuar #1, finding that its tasty morsels were doing nothing more than talking, decided to take matters into its own jaws, and rush SeeD party, one. It stomped right past Aerith as though she wasn't there and came after Fujiin and the others.

" SPREAD." Fujiin ordered her team mates, cart wheeling out of harm's way. Cid gripped on to Lulu's shoulder as the well endowed, black mage ran out of the way with surprising speed while Rude simply cracked his knuckled before rushing at the beast. It almost seemed suicidal, watching a man willingly charge a tyrannosaurus, however, since this was in no nature, a normal world-

"Hyaa!" Rude leaped into the air with an uppercut, connecting his gloved fist with T-Rexuar #1's jaw. When the dinosaur's head rocked upwards from the inhuman hit, the Turk used that opportunity to jump up and grab a hold of its neck to climb onto its head.

"HIGHWIND." Fujiin told Lulu.

The black mage, understanding what the eye patched woman mean by her words, smacked the scared scientist to awaken the personality of another scientist. _(FFXII) _

"Ah, and what might this be?" Cid asked Lulu when he regained consciousness.

_Lulu pointed in the direction of the death match that Rude was waging with the T-Rexuar._

"Aha." Cid smirked, stroking his chin. "A worthy specimen for battle!" He cackled before pulling out his trusty spear from out of nowhere. "Eh?" The scientist looked at the primitive weapon in his two hands with disappointment before regarding the black mage with a quizzical expression. "I, er, was expecting…a rifle…maybe?"

_Lulu shrugged her shoulders._

"_COMBAT!"_ They both flinched at Fujiin's call before getting into action. Cid charged at the best, and Lulu clutched her mog doll in one arm, conjuring up magic with the other.

_Just watch me. _Fujiin thought, looking to her beloved commander, standing with his arms crossed from afar. Her heats started to burn when she recalled the events of last night. _Watch me best my foes, commander!_

_**KBAM-KBAM! **_The sounds of bullets exploding forth from the barrel of Aya's handgun echoed through the beach as the young woman unflinchingly rushed forward toward T-Rexuar #3. The beast whipped around to send her flying away with a tail whip, but she slid into the sand with her back curved into an elegant arc, letting it pass over her head safely.

"Don't mess with my friends!" Sora cried out in a heroic manner, charging the dinosaur with what resembled a-

"_Giant key?"_Squall said in a questioning tone of voice. "I've never seen one of those before…"

* * *

_**-And You're on in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…**_

_The blizzard goddess, Shiva, blinks, looking a little more than confused to find herself in the training center. She takes a seat on the chair provided for her, freezing it on contact, and rests her hands upon the arm rests with a frown._

"_Where is Squall?" _She casts the speaker an unfavorable look. _"Don't tell me that he gave me up to you. I can't believe he would do that without my permission."_

_The speaker explains the situation._

"_Ah, only temporary you say?" _A satisfied smirk crosses the guardian's lovely lips. _"Very well. Ask your questions then."_

_The speaker proceeds._

"_Well, I've know Squall since he went on to complete his field exam. He's a charming, intelligent young man, though he tends to be a little cold, but I like that in a man. We got along very well." _A darker shade of blue appears on her cheeks. _"It wasn't until that Rinoa Heartily, that things started to change…his heart started to melt, and…it was just sad, you know? He had me. I mean, who else could he possibly need with me around, right?" _She crosses her arms, puffing her cheeks angrily. _"And don't get me started on Siren. I could write an entire book on the delusions that fill her head about replacing me."_

_She turns to the speaker to listen again._

"_It's pretty hard not to love a man after you've been sharing your soul with him for so long. I've often wondered how things would be if we switched roles. Think about it…Mistress Shiva. Squall would never leave me if he gave me a try." _She smirks.

_Shiva scowls when the speaker talks again._

"_Those White SeeDs? They do nothing but bring trouble for my dear Squall. To makes matters worse, they keep on trying to have him summon me so they can talk to me. Seriously, do you think I want to speak with those brats? I'd have a better time wasting my breath on Ifrit's favorite subject." __She crosses her legs and speaks, imitating the hell beast's deep voice, "I'll make the perfect chili one day, Shiva. Just you wait."__  
_

* * *

"This man's story…" Auron grunted, keeping T-Rexaur #2's mouth from closing around his arm with his katana. "…will not end today!" He roared, plunging the end of his blade deep into its nose. The dinosaur hissed in pain as the blood spurted from the new nasal passage that the young man punctured, stomping backwards as it tried to soothe the pain with its stubby arms. Needless to say, it couldn't.

"Step aside everyone!" Vaan cried out, getting the attention of his team mates as the T-Rexaur shook its head around in pain. "I will finish it off!

"Oh, Hyne…" Yuffie groaned, rolling her eyes. "There he goes again."

"This is a team effort, idiot." Lucinda snapped at him, placing a hand on her hip as she shouldered her cypress staff. "Besides-" She pointed to the distressed dinosaur. Apparently, going for the nose really did the job since T-Rexaur #2 appeared to be completely harmless while it tried to cope with the pain. "-What glory can you get from killing that poor beast?"

"Be quiet!" Vaan snapped back at her. "It's my job to end every pivotal battle." He pounded his chest with one hand proudly before pointing at himself vainly. "I am the leading character, after all. Now, watch me!" He twirled his daggers in a stylish dance before pointing them at the T-Rexuar. "Watch me in my blaze of glor-"

_**TONK!**_

_Vaan fell to the ground after Sora's key blade clocked him across the head in the process of the young man swinging it._

"Sorry!" Sora apologized, not bothering to check on the poor fellow since he had bigger things to worry about. With that out of the way, and the T-Rexaur fleeing away to the safety of the trees, team two won by default.

**_...{Victory Fanfare plays}…_**

_**...**  
_

_**...**  
_

"That's one failure." Squall grumbled, marking an X on his clipboard beside the team number.

_**...**_

_**...  
**_

"Fall already!" Aya cried out, shooting bullet after bullet into T-Rexaur #3's body, but the dinosaur refused to give up. It went for her, lowering its head to catch her in the fatal grips of its teeth, but the rapport of a shotgun followed by the spray of blood from the side of its neck said otherwise.

"Huh?" Aya looked to the side to find Katherine reloading her shotgun, and offered her a thumb up. "Thanks."

"Yeah, just cover me now!" Katherine cried out, realizing that the T-Rexuar had set its sights on her after that little distraction, and it looked quite pissed. "Ah, crap!" She let off another round on it only to have her bullets blocked by the word _'MISS'._

"Oh, that's not fair at all!" She cried out as the carnivorous beast opened wide to receive her, but a quick slash to the side of its mouth from Ashe's blade saved the frightened woman.

"_**RAAAAAR!"**_ It roared in pain, but unlike its friend, it stood its ground and prepared to ram Ashe with its head…until three dices fell at its feet. _**"…Grrr?"**_

"Sorry friend." Setzer said with a smirk. "Lady Luck is on my side." The gambler taunted before snapping his fingers to activate the die. At that very instant, the skulls that were facing up flashed and the dinosaur fell to the floor, dead.

**_...{Victory Fanfare plays}…_**

_**...**  
_

_**...**_

"Failed…" Squall marked an X next to their team number as well.

_**...**_

_**...  
**_

"_ZAN."_ Fujiin whispered, throwing her razor disc at the beach sand just as Lulu's blizzard spell stunned the towering dinosaur. The disc revved up upon hitting the floor before using the momentum it picked up to shoot directly into T-Rexuar # 1's underbelly. The eye patched woman ran under its legs and caught her disc as it shot out from the dinosaur's back to catch it with a roll.

Rude proceeded to continue delivering blows to the top of its head with his fist before raising both of his hands over head and clasping them together to bring it down upon the T-Rexuar's head with considerable force. It finally resulted in the concussion that the Turk was going for, felling the beast. When it was down, Cid plunged his spear into its neck just to make sure it was down for the count and stood upon it triumphantly.

**_...{Victory Fanfare plays}…_**

"Failed…" The annoyed instructor repeated himself, marking down the final X beside Fujiin's team. He frowned as all of his students cheered, slapping each other high fives and embracing one another before getting their undivided attention with a loud order of, "Get into formation!"

All of the SeeD candidates flinched at his call and got into their formation before running up to him, giving the illusion of three giant arrows approaching the commander. They all stopped before their instructor, panting, and sweating with proud looks on their faces, however, his next words effectively kicked over their building sense of achievement.

"You all failed." Squall told them, flat out.

_They all stared at him…_

…_crickets began chirping…_

…_.and all hell broke loose._

"_**HUH? What are you talking about?"**_

"_**That was really hard!"**_

"_**Did you see how we beat those things?"**_

"_**Are you blind, man?"**_

"_**Give us credit!"**_

"_**FAILED? I'm the main character! The lead never fails!"**_

"_**WHAT?"**_

"Everyone, settle down." Squall ordered them all coldly. The way he narrowed his eyes as he did made sure that their lips were sealed. He was so scary when he did that. "Did any of you utilize the _'Scan'_ spell?"

"…_**Um…did we?"**_

"_**I don't think we did…"**_

"_**You idiot! If you hadn't just kept swinging your damn sword-"**_

"_**ME? You were going trigger happy!"**_

"_**This is so cruel! Just because of that, we failed?"**_

"…_**FAILURE…."**_

"_**NOOOOOO!"**_

"I thought so." Squall said with a nod to no one in particular. "We'll do this over tomorrow. Now, start heading back to the garden."

* * *

**_[ Heading back to Squall's Office… ]_**

* * *

Quistis poked her head into Squall's office to find the young commander seated at his desk with one hand gently massaging his forehead, his eyebrows knit with concentration as he scribbled into his record book with his other hand. The blonde instructor had been monitoring Squall and his class with Xu from the third floor of the garden through the handy use of binoculars. She could only watch in amazement as his candidates made short work of the T-Rexaur hunting party, however, from the look of things afterward, Squall didn't appear to be quite satisfied with their efforts. The way all of the candidates shuffled into the garden with such low spirits was proof of that.

"So..." Quistis began, getting his attention as she walked over to his desk with her hands held behind her back in a teasing fashion. Oh no, it was the daily bother from the blonde instructor again and Squall anticipated as much, glaring up at her as she placed her hands upon his desk, leaning over so that her two platinum bangs hung in front of his face along with other things. "...How did things go with your first field activity, commander?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Squall asked her, setting his pen down. "I'm sure that you and Xu were probably watching from the Garden anyway."

"Oh, Squall." Quistis giggled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Whatever." Squall growled. "This position is beginning to tax me."

"Seriously?" Quistis got worried when she saw the fatigued expression that washed over the commander's face. The last thing she wanted was for Squall to get tired of the job. If he did, then he would probably quit being an instructor, and that wouldn't be any fun at all. Not only that, but she really enjoyed having his company again. His position allowed for a lot more contact between them, which was something that she had found to be very lacking since the battle against Ultimecia had reached its climax. She was going to have to find a way to have him relax.

_But how does one get a person like him to relax? _Quistis pondered curiously, studying Squall's ever changing expression. The lion must have suspected the thoughts running through his fellow instructor's head with the way her eyes narrowed upon him in deep concentration. _Uh oh, he's trying to read me now._

"You know, Squall, the weekend is coming up."

"Yeah, so?" Squall responded, sounding as though he couldn't possibly care less. _Who cares about that? I've got things to take care of on my own time._

"I think it's about time that we had a meeting with all of the instructors."

"...So?" Squall sounded a bit unsure after listening to her suggestion. He didn't take very well to social gatherings, as it had undoubtedly been mentioned somewhere earlier in the story.

"We should really make plans." Quistis replied, a smirk running along her lovely lips. "You know...I've got an idea."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, this would be a good chance to get you away from the Garden, don't you think?"

"...Why?"

"You want to get away from your students, don't you?" Quistis asked. _And away from that Fujiin as well..._

The blonde instructor couldn't help but stifle a laugh when she saw the look on Squall's face lighten up a bit at her words. She could tell that he really wanted to relieve himself of the White SeeD candidates. She couldn't really blame him. It had to be tough considering the amount of personality that came from that class.

"Yeah." Squall answered truthfully.

"Then you're coming with us." Quistis concluded, offering him no other choice in the matter.

"Who is 'us'?" Squall asked, tapping his fingers upon the desk suspiciously.

"Me, Xu, Zell, and Nida, of course." Quistis replied. "We're spending the weekend at Winhill to set up a workshop."

_That place? I don't exactly feel very comfortable going over there._ "Why that place?" Squall inquired, sounding less enthusiastic about the idea than he normally did in general.

"It's quiet, and far." The blonde instructor reasoned with a confident smirk. "It'll be fun."

"Fun? Your definition of fun is hanging around some dead town here nobody even cares to know your name? They don't like outsiders."

"We're not outsiders." Quistis told him, waving him off. "Don't worry. I'll get everything prepared."

"Quistis..." He called out to her, but she was out the door before he could proceed with any further objections. "...Dammit."_  
_

* * *

_My experience last night within Squall's room was...unexpected, but very welcome. I wasn't able to form any intelligible thoughts after getting back to my room. My body temperature just wouldn't drop down to it's normal status afterward. My body ached, however, it was not pain that I felt, laying in my bed that night...no..it was something far more complex. It was lust. Yes, my suppressed feelings for Squall had taken on something of a dangerous nature as I did my best to get sleep. I wanted to go back and experience it again, but this time I wanted more than he had given me before. I needed more, and knowing that Ms. Heartily was able to get that whenever she so desired simply made my blood boil beyond mere description. Though I cannot help but wonder...what compelled him to do that? Could it have really been a dream, or mere reflex? _

_Meeting him in the morning made it clear to me that all of that was not intentional. He didn't seem to be disturbed by my presence at all. Perhaps it was simply...how does one say...the opportunity of a lifetime..._

_-**Stalker's Log, September 22nd**- __**LOG ONE**_

_I overheard Instructor Trepe speaking with Squall as I watched him from the bookcase behind his chair. I found a small passage overnight, and now I have made it my base of studies for whenever he works. It is actually quite comfortable. I'm curious as to why the area exists even after they had remodeled the entire floor. Ah, I'd best be grateful. Well, getting back on the topic of Ms. Trepe, it appears that she has plans to make away with the commander. I think she said that they were going to Winhill._

_...It seems like I have some traveling to look forward to..._

_-**Stalker's Log, September 22nd**- _

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**


	7. Trespass

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

_**Chapter Six: An Escape****  
**_

_By Traingham_

* * *

_Ahhhh, Winhill. _Looking for a place to stay along with your friends, and have the experience of a life time? Well, this was not the place for you. Would you happen to be looking for companionship, and the warm welcome of friends and family? Well, this was not the place for you. Trying to find a place to pass the time? Well, again, this certainly was not the place for you, or for any other sane individual for that matter. Winhill was a place of beginnings, but that was mainly it, unless you had the nerve to put up with the unwelcoming atmosphere that suffocated passing travelers like a skeletal hand wrapping around their necks. Oh, did I mention that there were ghosts roaming this town? Yes, along with that feeling of depression that would likely creep up on the happiest of souls upon entering the town, ghosts also had a disturbing fancy in introducing a sense of paranoia that would be the best explanation for why those who lived in the town were so damn weird. So why was it that someone would come to Winhill, you ask?

**_TO ESCAPE._**

_Which would be why a certain commander was not about to pass up this chance._

"Three days away, huh?" Squall muttered to no one in particular as he laid a short stack of folded clothes into the duffel bag that he set upon his bed. When he was sure that they were settled in nicely, he turned away and walked back into his closet to find some appropriate wear. "I guess three days stuck in that dead town with Quistis and the others would be tolerable. It's better than-" The commander stopped thinking out loud when there was a knock at his door. He paused for a moment, remaining absolutely still so that his visitor would get the impression that perhaps he was not in, but he had no such luck.

_"Instructor Leonhart." _His eyes narrowed imperceptibly at the sound of Aerith's voice coming from the other side of the door. If it wasn't his office, then it was his room. What the hell compelled this woman to bother a person that clearly showed a lack of interest in her? This was no exaggeration, mind you. When she entered his office to speak with him, he paid her no mind. When she managed to take the spot behind him on the cafe line, which was a feat in itself since other female students fought for it, he didn't even bother to turn his head when she tapped him on the shoulder. On homework assignments, when she typed personal messages to him at random within paragraphs, he made no effort to address them.

_...I'm not here..._ Squall inwardly growled, his eyes never leaving the door.

_"I can hear you, by the way." _Aerith suddenly announced.

"Then you know that I'm ignoring you." Squall replied to her, resuming his packing.

_"That's not very nice." _A faint click from the door of the room got Squall's attention. The young commander could only mouth what words that came to mind as he watched the door to his room open slowly to reveal his unwanted visitor dressed in the Balamb garden attire. "Oh, wow." She exclaimed innocently as she let herself in. She looked to him, seemingly unaffected by the fact that he was lacking that which kept his upper body from being exposed, and giggled, "You really need to close your door properly."

_I'm pretty sure that I did..._ Squall thought, furrowing his brows, though with what just happened, he couldn't be too sure anymore. "What is it now?"

"Do I need a reason to keep my instructor company?" The young woman asked, no hint of mischief or malice within her voice. She just genuinely seemed to appreciate his company, and quite frankly, he was beginning to feel just a bit unsettled in her presence.

Pulling on the first shirt that he could slip out of his drawer, Squall replied, "Yeah."

"Then my reason is for liking you." Aerith stated, bluntly enough.

Squall blinked at her a few times. "...You sure are something." _I'm seriously going to have to speak to Edea about this girl. The rest of the candidates are afraid of her, monsters avoid her like the plague, but for some reason the only thing that I find whacked out about her is..._ Squall took a moment to glance back at her face. The usual smile that never failed to send shivers through his spine was present. _...there's something about that smile..._

"I suppose this is a bit forward, but, what do you think of me?" Aerith asked, stepping into the commander's boundaries by taking a seat on his bed, next to the duffel bag.

"Why do you want to know?" Squall asked, dropping three pairs of socks into his duffel bag before returning to the drawer beside his bed for some underwear.

_"So where are you going?"_ The subject suddenly took an unexpected turn as the White SeeD candidate directed her attention to the bag beside her. "Looks like you've got a trip ahead of you."

"Make up your mind." The lion growled at her.

**_BadumP-_**

_Squall looked up to the ceiling._

_What the hell was that?_ He narrowed his eyes, trying to find what was the source of the noise, but he couldn't detect a thing. "It couldn't have come from upstairs." He remained still with his eyes trained for the source of the bump, but after a moment of stillness he returned his attention to Aerith to find her holding one of his shirts in her hand. When the heck did she reach into his bag? He looked to his duffel bag to find everything perfectly folded.

_She's quick..._

"Do you mind if I keep this?" The young woman asked, looking up at him. She turned it around to look at the illustration of the Griever pendant before going on to say, "This would be great to wear to sleep. It's so big," To Squall's increasing irritation, she pulled the shirt over her head and slipped it on. "-it's like a nightgown."

"You mind?" Squall asked, placing a hand on his hip. "Do you normally just touch everything around you?" _Damn, you're annoying..._

_"Only when I like a person." _Aerith replied, catching him off guard again.

"...Would you leave?"

"So, I can?" She asked, holding up her hands. The sleeves were slightly long on her so they flopped from side to side.

Squall placed a hand on the side of his head to massage his temple. "Yeah-just go."

"How nice!" Aerith jumped up from her seat on the bed and turned to face him, leaning over with her hands held behind her back. "Thanks."

_She went in for a hug-_

_-Squall dodged to the side._

"Hands to yourself." He told her, taking a step back. _Weirdo._

Aerith dropped her hands at her side. "Aww."

* * *

_**And you're on in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...**_

_The guardian, Siren, looks around to find herself in the training center and regards the speaker with an odd expression before glancing behind her to find a folding chair. She takes a seat, and folds her legs before resting her harp on her lap._

_"Where's Quistis? Did she leave me with you?" Siren narrows her eyes upon the speaker as though she finds a bit of recognition._

_The speaker explains the situation to her._

_"For questioning? Well, don't be shy, then."_

_The speaker proceeds._

_"Ah, Squall Leonhart. You're referring to that handsome young man that dominates the mind of my mistress, Trepe, late at night?"_

_The speaker nods slowly.  
_

_"Well, I first met him when he faced the disgusting shell that imprisoned me on the satellite tower of Dollet. I'd say that among that spirited blonde man, and the feisty young woman, Squall stood out most, engaging the beast with such valor that he nearly stole my heart right then and there. Unfortunately, after he received me, he offered me to Quistis Trepe." Siren's eyes shift from side to side, obviously keeping the look out for the blonde instructor to make sure that she didn't just hear those words. "Not only that, but I know that Shiva was against it. After realizing that I was the one drawn from that winged demon, she probably told him something false about me." Siren mutters a curse under her breath._

_The speaker calls her attention._

_Siren nods before going on to answer._

_"I suppose it might already be obvious to you that I have a thing for him. After all, my mistress feels the same way about him, too, so it would be very difficult for me not to feel the same. Given the chance, I would like him to junction me, even if for a few minutes. It would be nice to feel him-"_

_The speaker cuts her off before she could elaborate her desires any further._

_"Those White SeeDs? Well, I personally see nothing wrong with them. Quistis thinks they're pretty amusing. She likes to observe how Squall deals with them." Siren places her hands on her mouth to laugh. "I bet that tramp, Shiva, is-

* * *

_

**_[ Xu's Office... ]_**

Walking into the office of Balamb Garden's most mysterious character, one would find a large glowing display of the SeeD emblem dominating the entire ceiling, LCD screens that observed the activities of all areas of the garden on the right and left walls, a bookshelf beside the doorway, filled with subjects from the Sorceress Wars to _'How to Fell an Empire'_, and perhaps, on occasion, Xu herself, sitting at her desk with reports to fill out. Her desk, a black, touch screen model, was in perfect order. Entry books were held within a compartment on the left side of the desk, rising for her on a small platform at the touch of an icon on the desk's command screen. On the left compartment there was a mini bar, and of course, there were drawers for her to pull out other tools and documents that she required. An assortment of knives and blades hung on the wall at her left, and guns and rifles on the wall at her right. Behind her head was a painting of two people holding each other...wait a second...that wasn't Rinoa...

"Hm?" Xu looked up from her reports when she heard someone step into her office, and an unexpected someone at that. "Instructor Leonhart?" Xu's lips curled into a subtle smirk as the young commander approached her desk, stopping when he was behind the two seats that faced it. "Don't stand there," The enigmatic instructor told him with a chuckle as she gestured to the left seat. "Make yourself comfortable."

_And Squall did just that..._

"So..." Xu awaited some sort of explanation from Squall, but he merely remained silent in his seat. "...Did you want to speak to me?"

"Not really." Squall answered her, causing the woman to quirk an eyebrow in intrigue.

"So, you just enjoy my company?"

"In a sense, I suppose." He glanced over his shoulder before turning his attention back to her. "You don't bother me as much."

_Blunt, as usual. _Xu thought with a small grin. "So it would be safe to assume that you're hiding from someone?"

"My office isn't exactly so peaceful anymore." Squall answered her vaguely.

"Ah," Xu's eyes gleamed with understanding. "I see."

Both instructors were so focused on each other that they weren't aware of how Fuujin was staring directly at them from the LCD screen near the corner of the left wall, which meant that she was staring directly into the camera. She shouldn't have been able to _actually_ see them...right?

"Your students have become quite attached to you, haven't they?"

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Attached?"

* * *

**_[ ...MONDAY... ]_**

Squall looked up from his scribbling when there was a knock at his office door. "Come in."

_Yuffie walked in, dressed in her casual clothes._

_Her again. _Squall inwardly deflated before tending to his own duties again. Yuffie didn't pay any mind to how the commander's mood had considerably darkened, and walked up to his desk before plopping herself on one of the seats in front of him. She rested both of her hands on her lap childishly, leaning over with a mischievous smile.

"So whatcha doin'?" The kunoichi asked with genuine interest.

Squall didn't answer her immediately, tossing an unwelcome look at her. "...Writing."

"Writing what?" She cocked her head to the side.

"...Reports."

"About what?"

"...Stuff." Squall said after another long pause.

"Oooh." She nodded as though she understood what he was referring to. "So, I was thinkin'..."

_Squall made no response._

"So I was THINKIN'..."

"About what?" Squall decided to follow along.

"Ya' teach me how ta' use that sword of yours. I mean, I've really been admiring that cool sword you're always waving around. It's just awesomeness!" Yuffie went on hopefully. "I saw ya' training last night, and I was thinkin-"

"No."

"But, wait! This is really good-"

"No."

"C'mon!" Yuffie waved her arms frantically before bring them to her chest. "Just think about it. We could both be-"

"No."

"Can I at least-"

No."

_**+...+**_

_**[ ...TUESDAY... ]**_

Squall looked up from polishing his glasses when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in."

_Aya walked in, dressed in blue jeans, a white shirt, and a leather jacket._

_What does she want? _Squall set down his glasses and directed his attention to her.

"Evening, sir." Aya took a seat in front of his desk and crossed her legs.

_Silence..._

"What is it?" The commander asked.

"Something has been concerning me." The blue eyed beauty began, regarding him intensely. "I was thinking that maybe you could help me."

"If you want some counseling, that isn't my department."

"It's about you."

"What about me?"

"Have you had any...organ transplants at any point in your life? Are there any operations I should know about?"

"No." Squall answered her, unsure of where the conversation might have been heading. _Honestly, there's really nothing you should know about me..._

"...Don't lie to me."

"I'm not." _If being chained to a torture machine couldn't make me lie, then what makes you think that you'd push me any harder?_

"Hmmm." Aya stood up from her chair and made her way to his side of the desk, standing beside his seat. Squall regarded her quizzically when she twirled his chair around gently to have his entire body face her, and leaned over until-

_**BOP...**_

-their foreheads touched...

"Do you feel anything?" Her eyes looked directly into his.

"...No, I don't." Squall leaned back, but she leaned forward to keep their heads connected. _What is your problem?_

"You don't hear _her_ call?"

"Why are you breathing so hard?" The commander started to feel a little uncomfortable. _Her call? Did I miss something on your analytical report?_

"Sorry if it bothers you. I just feel hot whenever I'm around you for some reason." Aya said bluntly. "It seems that our bodies bond well."

"Get out of my office."

_**+...+**_

**_[ ...WEDNESDAY... ]_**

Squall drank from his thermos of hot chocolate when suddenly-

_"Che!"_

Squall lowered the thermos. "Hyne bless you."

_"THANKS."_

"You're welco-"

_Realization struck him._

"Wait a second..."

_**+...+**_

**_[ ...THURSDAY... ]_**

"I noticed that your office needed a few flowers so I brought some for you." Aerith announced, walking into Squall's office without knocking. She walked up to his desk, Squall's eyes never leaving her as she approached closer and closer until she set the pot down in front of him.

_"What are you doing here?"_ Squall growled.

"I grew them myself." Aerith informed him proudly, before pointing to the pink flower on the right side of the pot. "See, this is me..."

_"What are you doing here?"_ Squall repeated himself monotonously.

Aerith pointed to the dark purple one on the left. "...and this is you."

_"What are you doing here?"_

"You like them?" She smiled.

_"I'll repeat myself. What are you-

* * *

_

"Quite a flashback you had there." Xu remarked as the scene behind Squall disappeared.

"...You could see it?" Squall asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes." She nodded.

Squall shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Well...This is awkward..."

"Getting away from that," Xu decided to proceed when the commander started looking around idly. "I hear that you're accompanying us to Winhill."

"Yeah." Squall nodded.

"That's a welcome development." Xu mused, tapping her chin. "I suppose you'd best get ready then."

"...Well, I've got my bags packed."

"Not exactly what I meant." Xu said with a mysterious smirk that disturbed the young commander. This woman always had a tendency to speak in riddles sometimes. Sometimes he couldn't help, but wonder what went on in that head.

_What's that supposed to mean?_

* * *

**_[ On our way to Timber... ]_**

"It's been so long!" Ellone cried out to her younger _'brother' _as she clung herself to his right arm. The other instructors in the cabin watched as Squall's stoic expression started to look a little uneasy. Being around Ellone could do that to people. "So tell me!" Her sudden demand made Squall flinch a little, although you would have to be a fly on his shoulder to actually notice it.

_So this is what she meant..._ The commander glanced at Xu, sitting beside him before turning his attention back to his older sister. She still had her odd way of dress, wearing an dark, orange sweater with a beige, long skirt and a scarf draped over her arms. She allowed her hair to grow a little though, so that it now fell halfway down her back. She must have gotten her inspiration for the look from a certain bartender. "Tell you what?" Squall asked, ignoring the way Quistis, and Zell grinned at him. It was a reward to see the normally composed commander squirm.

"How has your experience as an instructor been so far?" She leaned up against him so that he was looking directly into her eyes.

"...Fine."

"Oh, you can do better than that." Xu patted him on the shoulder.

"Fine." Squall grumbled before elaborating, "I'm in charge of a bunch of dysfunctional students that could very well murder me in my sleep if they wanted to."

_Ellone blinked..._

_Everyone else blinked with the exception of Xu. She merely giggled._

Ellon laughed, "Oh, Squall! You're so funny!"

_Right..._ Squall rolled his eyes. _...I feel the same way about my life..._

"So," Ellone looked to Zell, curiously. "What are you doing here?"

Zell jerked back in his seat as though the woman had delivered a jab to his face. "What do you mean?"

"This trip is just for instructors." The woman said innocently.

"I AM AN INSTRUCTOR!" The young man cried out, reaching his hands out for her as though he would strangle her.

"Oh." Ellone placed her hand on her mouth to giggle. "What a surprise. Good for you, Zell."

_A vein bulged out on his forehead._

"Oh, wait!" Everyone flinched when Ellone suddenly cried out. She set her sights back on her younger brother and asked, "So how's, Rinoa?"

_The two other women in the cabin turned their heads away from Squall._

"She's fine." Squall answered. "I haven't been able to see much of her lately, though."

_Both women looked back at him._

"I'm sure it's because of all the work you do." Ellone told him with a grin. "Maybe you should take a day off for the both of you."

"That wouldn't be wise." Xu suddenly said. "That would set back his class. Instructors are on a tight schedule as they prepare the candidates for their SeeD evaluation exam."

"That's right." Quistis nodded, winking at her friend when no one had their eyes on her.

"That's a shame." Ellone said with a frown. She turned her attention back to Zell, being faced with a scowl. "And you, Zell?"

"What about me?" Zell grumbled.

"You have someone in your life yet?"

"Were you paying any attention to me the last time we spoke?"

Ellone blinked a few times before slowly shaking her head.

"DAMMIT!" Zell bit back a curse as he turned away from her to grumble to himself. _Why is she always picking on me?_

"So I guess, nobody, then?" Ellone inquired curiously, causing the martial artist to widen his left eye in irritation.

"Excuse me?" Zell turned his head to look at her with a crazed expression. "I am not single!"

"Oh," Ellone giggled with a sympathetic smile. "You don't have to lie to me." Her words even got Squall to let out a chuckle. Xu stifled a laugh poorly, and Quistis just nudged Zell teasingly while Nida's cheeks puffed from the laugh he was trying to keep in. All in all, Zell was having a bad day.

"ARGH!" Zell rose up from his seat. "I can't take it any-"

_Ellone narrowed her eyes at him..._

"...m-more?" Zell's last words came out in a frightened wheeze.

"I think someone is a little cranky." Ellone told him cheerfully.

"N-No!" Zell started to panic. "I-I wasn't going to do anythi-" A piercing noise filled his ears. "NOOOOO! Not this agai-"

**_Ba-Thump._**

_Zell fell back in his seat, unconscious._

"You sent him to the dream world?" Quistis asked the time mage.

"Yep." Ellone replied with a smile.

"Where to?" Squall inquired, watching Zell's right leg twitch.

"Back to when you guys went to prison."

_Harsh... _Quistis thought, recalling the time Zell stood up to the prison warden. Yeah, he was going to wake up pretty sore...

_"GOOD AFTERNOON."_ Squall and the others turned their attention to the entryway of the cabin when three stewardess walked in with a snack cart. They all had their hair styled so that a few bangs covered their right eyes. It made them seem a little suspicious. Not only that, but the dialogue box that popped over the silver haired stewardess brought up a few questions in the young commander's head.

"Finally." Nida said gratefully at the sight of food. "I was getting hungry."

"Zzzzzzzzz." Zell snored in agreement.

The silver haired stewardess pushed the cart closer to the instructors, and set her azure eye on Squall, ignoring everyone else while her two partners handled them_. "Would you like anything, sir?"_

Squall regarded her silently for a moment, but he eventually nodded. "Do you have any, Cactuar Dew?"

_"OF COURSE_." She looked into the cooling compartment of the snack cart, and pulled out a soda can that had a cactaur sporting some shades and a snowboard. She picked up one of the glasses that were set upside down on the cart, and placed it under the ice dispenser to fill it before approaching the commander with glass and can in hand. Squall didn't notice the way her eye twinkled as she titled the open can over the glass to serve him. It went well until she mistakenly spilled some of the drink onto his lap.

_Hm? _Quistis stroked her chin when the stewardess apologized to the commander.

_"SORRY." _The silver-haired woman grabbed a paper towel from the cart and knelt to dry it off for him.

"That's alright-" Squall stiffened when she pressed the folded towel against his lap to soak up the fizzling drops that were slowly being absorbed by his pants. He leaned over a bit to stop her as her hand gradually got closer to his- "Ah..."

_JACKPOT._

_"There we are." _She pressed down between his legs a few times before standing up. _"Sorry about that."_

"Th...That's fine..." Squall assured her, feeling a bit violated.

_"HERE." _She handed him his drink.

"Thanks." Squall accepted it, studying her face as he did, but she turned away before he could really concentrate.

_The other stewardess approached him._

"Snacks?" Her voice came out with a little more pep than he expected.

"Um, I'd li-"

"We have a variety to choose from!" The cheerful stewardess ignored Nida, focusing solely on the lion. "Chips, chocolates, cookies." She leaned over a bit. "All the sweets you want, mister."

"I don't really want any-"

"Cookies, then!" She snatched a bag from the cart and placed it on his lap. "On me, mister."

"...Thanks."

"Don't mention it." She told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just remember that it's always good to think about others."

"...Right..." Squall raised an eyebrow.

"So just hypothetically, next time a student asks you to train the-" She stopped herself when the silver haired stewardess clutched her shoulder with a stern look. She looked back to Squall with a grin. "U-um, never mind that! Have a nice trip!" With that, she was dragged out of the cabin by her fellow stewardess. The tall stewardess with the mog key chain hanging from her waist remained, however.

She regarded Squall for a moment before nodding to herself and pushing the cart out into the hall to visit the next cabin.

"That was interesting." Quistis remarked, sipping her juice from her straw. "I don't think that's ever happened to us before."

"I think they were really nice." Ellone said cheerfully. "Especially that first woman." She looked to Squall as he hesitantly munched on his cookies and teased, "She was pretty set on helping you, don't you think?"

"I think she was rather determined." Xu chuckled.

_"Whatever."_

**_

* * *

_**

_...I touched it._

**_-Stalker's Log, September 24th-_**

_

* * *

_**_To Be Continued..._**


	8. Magnetism

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

_**Chapter Seven: No, I Am Not Following You****  
**_

_By Traingham_

* * *

One would say that,Timber, as neglected as the town had been after Squall's very first mission, was the corner stone of the world crisis that eventually lead to the epic showdown between a family of orphans and a misunderstood sorceress. Had Cid Kramer not been so kind as to revise the contract that he had given Rinoa Heartily, Squall Leonhart would not have had his second meeting with the lovely resistance leader. Seifer would not have been able to infiltrate T.V station, Zell would not have given away Balamb's involvement with the resistance operation, Edea would have nothing to do for a few more scenes, and the love triangle between the dark mercenary, the resistance leader, and the sorceress knight would have been nearly non-existent. Irvine would be an ass for the remainder of his life; Selphie, Quistis, and perhaps even Xu would have begun their own little harem with Squall, and then Zell's petty existence would have been given a true meaning in life. Ahem...the point that this twisted rant would be leading to would be...oh wait, it was made already.

....oh, Squall saved a little girl's life as well, but that really reflected on the laws of probability.

"It's good to be alive, eh?" Zone, a man that was once involved in the Forest Owls resistance, told his partner, Watts. This particular man was an odd individual to say the least. He talked big, and probably had more feelings for Rinoa Heartily than he would admit, yet, his stomach seemed to always get in the way of his bravery. Perhaps this was why he lost the lovely resistance leader to the dark mercenary, and another reason for why he still had not found a woman to go steady with.

"Um, yes, it is, sir." Watts replied, placing a hand on his head as he did with a slight bow. Now, Watts, was a different man entirely. While he cared for Rinoa Heartily deeply, it was clear that it was simply out of loyalty and care. He was also a very brave man despite his somewhat passive nature. Secretly, he was also a ladies man, but due to his closeness with Zone, he would never make such information public.

"With those Galbadian bastards gone, Timber is back to the way it used to be." Zone sighed, stretching out on the cool surface of the platform beside the train tracks that were laid out in front of the pet shop. "It's much better than being with those dull guys on that boat."

"True, sir. Very true." Watts agreed, taking a seat on the ledge of the platform.

"Yeah..." Zone mused, folding his hands behind his head.

"............" Watts looked out into the distance, the tail of his bandanna waving with this breeze.

_Silence...._

Zone looked to Watts. "Kind of boring though."

"My thoughts exactly, sir." Watts agreed, naturally. He twisted his body around when the sound of the Balamb train echoed in the distance. Maybe Rinoa was coming for another visit. He sure hoped so because Zone was beginning to get restless, and quite frankly, Watts was getting tired of sticking around to amuse him. He had things to do, too, like take the train to Deiling City, and switch to his alternate identity, Raul Wattson...ahem...a story for another time.

The train came to a screeching halt at the station, attracting many of the people who were hanging around the station, killing time for its arrival. The conductors opened the doors, and stepped out to assist any of the elderly, and before long, Squall and his travel mates walked out with him, sans, Rinoa Heartily.

"Look!" Watts tapped Zone on the forehead as he pointed to Squall and the others, descending the steps. "It's Squall, sir!"

"Rinoa?!" Zone sat up on the platform, turning his head from side to side so that he could get a glimpse of his favorite _princess. _"Where?!"

"I said, Squall, sir." Watts corrected him.

"Where is she?" Zone asked, seemingly associating the lion's name with the resistance leader.

"...Nevermind, sir." Watts hung his head.

Squall blinked when Quistis tapped his shoulder. "What?" He looked to the blonde instructor at his side to find her pointing to something in front of them. He turned his head in the direction that she was pointing to to find the former resistance members. Oh, just the two men he was hoping to avoid.

"...Great." The commander grumbled. _It lloks like another death threat is headed my way..._

"And, who are they?' Xu asked her friend upon seeing Squall's mood darken.

"Two old acquaintances." Quistis answered her, crossing her arms as she walked on. "Rinoa used to live with them on a train when we first met them."

"Oh..." Xu glanced at Squall for a moment before returning her attention to Quistis. "So, why doesn't our commander like them, again?"

"Well, one of them sort of hates him for taking Rinoa away from them."

Zone perked up when the instructors came by the platform, his eyes scrolling the group for Rinoa to find her absent. He scrambled to his feet quickly. "HEY!" He called Squall's attention, but the instructor turned a deaf ear to him as usual. "I know you hear me, bastard!"

"That would be the guy, right?" Xu asked Quistis.

"Yep." The blonde nodded.

Squall stopped when he heard the familiar title, and turned to the former resistance member with a hand on his hip. "But the owls are still around, aren't they?"

"Eh?" Zone blinked at the odd reply.

"Can I get by now?" Squall asked, sounding a bit bored. _You're not exactly the best conversational partner..._

"Good one, sir." Watts told the commander.

"Hey, Watts." Squall nodded to him. "Doing well, huh?"

"Yes, sir." Watts nodded, placing a hand on his head out of habit. "I've been doing very well."

"Stop ignoring me!" Zone flailed his arms angrily.

"What is it?"

"Where the hell is, Rinoa?!"

"Probably reading at the Garden library with her friends, or hanging out with Selphie." Squall replied before crossing his arms with a _'hmph'._ "You don't expect me to force her everywhere with me, do you? She has her own business to take care of, too, don't you think?" _We're not attached by the hip, you know._

"Very considerate of you, sir." Watts praised the instructor.

"Shut up, Watts!" Zone snapped at his long time partner. He looked to Squall, and held up a fist menacingly. "Get outta my sight before I'm forced to do something to ya'."

"Hey..." Ellone pouted.

Zone realized she was standing beside Squall, and nearly freaked. "E-ELLONE?!" He backed away from the ledge of the platform quickly, and fixed his posture. "I-I didn't see you there! How's it goin'?!"

"So this is how you treat my little brother, huh?" She asked placing her hands on her hips in a disapproving fashion.

"L-Little?" Zone compared their heights. Squall clearly outmatched her in height, but of course, he didn't take age into consideration. "Well...u-um...I...ahhhh..."

Ellone latched on to Squall's arm, and got him moving away from the platform. "You heard the man. Let's go, Squall."

"Whatever..." The commander said, allowing himself to be lead away. The others shrugged their shoulders, and followed in suite. Zell, however, waited for the others to go up ahead of him and approached the platform with a fierce grin on his face. He stopped halfway up the steps to the platform, and leaned forward with an elbow resting on his knee. Even if Squall could be cold to people, he still considered him a close friend, and he didn't appreciate how Zone had a habit of cursing the man on sight.

"You know," Zell twisted his head to the side with a smug smirk. "Squall might have spared you, but I ain't so understanding." He clenched his left hand into a fist and shook it at Zone in a threatening manner. "Wanna have at it?"

"That would be a challenge, sir." Watts stated the obvious to his partner.

Zone scowled at Zell and walked up to him. "I'd take that challenge, but..."

Zell quirked an eyebrow. "....But?"

Zone turned away and crouched down, holding his stomach as though it pained him. "My stomach really hurts...." He looked over his shoulder at Zell, and taunted, "Come back later, and I'll show you how its done."

"Uh, whatever, man." Zell hopped off the steps and followed in the direction that the others walked off to. "Take care, Watts!" With that, he ran off.

"You, too, sir." Watts waved at the martial artist's fleeting form.

Fuujin, Yuffie, and Lulu poked their heads out from their hiding spot behind the stone rail of the station platform when they heard Zell bid his farewell. Knowing Zell's tendency to let secrets slip, they understood that allowing him to catch a glimpse of them would get word traveling fast. Hyne knows what might happen if Squall ever found out that they were tailing him. He'd probably start avoiding them like the plague, or even worse...he might just ignore them.

_Somewhere, far away, a flower girl sneezed..._

_"CLEAR."_ Fuujin announced, proceeding to the stair steps to descend.

"Heh, heh." Yuffie chuckled to herself, the sight of Squall's surprised expression having yet to leave her mind. "That was awesome. Let's do it again on the next train, too!"

_Lulu shook her head._

"Oh, why not?" Yuffie pouted. "I wanna spill a drink on his lap, too."

Fuujin's eye twitched. _"NOT ADVISED."_

"This sucks..." The kunoichi let her arms swing back and forth limply to express her disappointment. "Where's the harm, huh?"

_"AROUSE SUSPICION." _The silver haired woman replied.

_Lulu nodded._

The three women walked past the platform that Zone, and Watts were resting on casually, when suddenly-

"W-What the---" Zone cried out in horror.

Fuujin shook her head, and inwardly cursed the limited paths of the town.

_He spotted me. _Fuujin turned her head to face Zone, and Watts, ever so slowly. She almost looked possessed. _"WHAT?"_

"You're that crazy chick that was orderin' around those Galbadian soldiers! What are you doing back here?!"

"Should we alert Squall, sir?" At the mention of the lion's name, the three girls stiffened in fright. "He'll be able to take care of this."

"Oh, no, no, no, no." Zone held up a hand to stop Watts from running off, shaking his head with a cocky grin. "We can handle this."

"We can?" Watts didn't sound too sure about that.

"You **idiot**! Have you forgotten your training?!" Zone's face contorted into an expression that most would associate with constipation.

_He wouldn't possibly mean..._ Watts face became rather blank as he recalled the DDR sessions that Zone had the entire Forest Owl crew do on the train. He claimed that it would be something to prepare them for the future, though he was a little vague about what he meant by it. Returning to reality, Watts inwardly wished he didn't. "Er....you wouldn't be referring to..."

"Exactly!" Zone did a little spin, ending up in a rather provocative pose; both hands on his hips with his pelvis thrust forward, upper body bending slightly to the side to accentuate what little curves he had. Yuna and the Gullwings had nothing on this guy. "That's exactly what I mean!"

Watts looked hesitant for reasons that any sensible person wouldn't blame him for, however, following a moments wait, he broke into a flashy two step before purposely falling to the side, and landing on one hand. He supported his weight on one wobbly arm, freezing the position of his body so that it seemed as though he was sitting on an invisible chair, upside down.

_The three young women blinked..._

_...both men remained in their awkward dance poses.  
_

"...Pretty good." Yuffie remarked after a long silence, at which point, Zone and Watts resembled statues. "They've been training hard, huh?"

_Lulu shrugged her shoulders._

"We challenge you to a dance off!" Zone declared as he pointed at Fuujin in a challenging gesture, his legs getting a little tired from assuming such an awkward pose for so long.

Watts's face gradually turned red as exhaustion started to set in. "W-What he s-said!" His words came out strained.

"What do we do?" Yuffie looked to Fuujin curiously.

_"INCAPACITATE _THEM." She said, cracking her knuckles. Her eye narrowed upon Zone dangerously. She also didn't take too kindly to the way he addressed her beloved commander. _"NOW."_

"Okies." Yuffie grinned at the two men mischievously.

_Lulu set her Cactuar doll on the floor, and it assumed a fighting stance._

"Uh..." Zone sweat as the women closed in on him and Watts. "Did you hear me?! This is a dance off!"

"T-They're not...listening...s-sir." Watts's face was now blue.

_**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Xu turned her head slightly when she heard the girlish screams echoe in the distance. "Instructor Leonhart?" She called the lion's attention.

"Yeah, Xu?" Squall acknowledged her without turning his head to regard her.

"Did you hear that?"

"I heard it." Quistis told her. "Sounded a bit like Zone, and Watts."

"I didn't hear anything." Ellone said off offhandedly before looking to her younger brother, and asking, "Did you, Squall?"

"No." Squall replied, never missing a beat in his walk. At their exchange, the other instructors decreased their pace a bit so that Squall, and Ellone walked on ahead of them.

Nida massaged the back of his neck, and chuckled nervously. "A-Am I seeing a little resemblance between those two?"

"Kind of cold, huh?" Zell commented, though he would never say it out loud to Ellone's face, lest he wished for another unpleasant flashback.

"I think it's cute." Xu said with a slight smile.

Quistis blinked a few times as her best friend's comment, and sweat dropped. "Um, Xu...we need to have a talk later about that twisted logic of yours."

* * *

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**_Onwards! To Winhill..._**

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She stepped into town, and all of the flowers on the merchant carts blossomed beautifully, almost as if her very presence filled them with an unexplainable joy. At her side was a taller woman adorned in a white dress, and a red poncho with gold trim. Her brown hair flowed along with the mysterious breeze that followed her like a longtime companion. She was an attractive woman that always appeared to have a serene expression on her face; a mask that would always drop to reveal her true mischievous nature when she was playing a card game with an unfortunate victim. Yes, she was the Queen of Cards, the best card player in the world until she met _him. _Oh, she would never forget _HIM; a young man dressed in a leather jacket with fur trimming, and a scar adorning his handsome face. _She would get her rematch, and when she won, she would make him her slave!

_"HAHAHAHA!"_ The Queen of Cards laughed maniacally, getting the attention of all the passing townspeople...not many I might add.

"You're such a cheerful person." Aerith smiled at her traveling companion. Now, the question that would come to mind now is, how did they end up at traveling companion, right? Well, Aerith happened to be watering her personal garden at the front gate of Balamb Garden when-

-----------------------------------------------

"Excuse me." Aerith looked up from her flowers when a feminine voice called her attention. Standing beside her was a woman that appeared to be in her late twenties, a common misconception.

"Hello." Aerith greeted the mysterious woman before bending down to pick a flower, and offer it to her. "Would you like a flower?"

"Erm..." The woman accepted it after taking a moment to observe the smile on the girl's face. "...Sure." She tossed it to the side when Aerith turned back to tend to her flowers. "Would you happen to be a student at this garden, young lady?"

"In a sense, yes." Aerith replied in her melodic voice.

The Card Queen cleared her throat. "Excellent." She rubbed her hands together with anticipation. "Would you know," she reached into an invisible pocket under her poncho where she stored her decks of cards to produce a photo of Squall Lenohart. He appeared to be fighting off a wild chocobo, and failing miserably I might add. It was rather intriguing how this woman could keep so many cards hidden within her clothes. It was sort of like Squall's unusual ability to produce a gunblade whenever necessary. Where did he keep that thing? "Where this young man would be?"

"Oh, instructor Leonhart." Aerith said his name in an admiring fashion. "What would you possibly want with him?" Her voice suddenly took on a rather interesting tone, though it was hard to place it with the way her cheerful expression refused to vacate her lovely features.

"Oh," The Card Queen waved her off with a forced chuckle. "Nothing really! Just some unfinished business."

"Then you won't find him here."

"WHAT?!" The serene look on the woman's face shifted to that of clear anger for a fleeting moment before she composed herself again, smiling as though that didn't just happen. "Ahahaha. Where might he have gone?"

_Aerith grinned..._

----------------------------------------------

You get the idea...

"He has nowhere to hide around here." The Card Queen laughed deviously. "Now, the hunt begins." With that, she left Aerith behind and started her search at the mansion. Aerith turned away from the woman's fleeting form, having used her to what extent she could, and spied a flower stand near the flood gate at the side of the town entrance. There a wonderfully organized display of colors beamed brightly at her as though to entice her to it. Beside it stood a merchant with long silver hair that almost touched the floor, and two long curving bangs that almost resembled her own. He wore a black tuxedo with a blood red rose sticking out from his front pocket.

"Ah, hello there my lady." His voice came out suave, and smooth with a loose tongue. "I see that my flowers have caught your eye, no?" His glowing green eyes drank in the lovely sight of her.

"They are certainly beautiful." Aerith told him innocently.

The merchant pulled one of the bouquets from the stand, and offered it to her in a suave manner. "No more beautiful than you are." He placed a hand on his chest, bowing to her. "You compliment each other."

"Thank you." Aerith told him, oblivious to the man's attempts at wooing her, or not caring for that matter.

"And your name might be?"

"Aerith Gainsborough."

"Well, my de-"

"Oi!" A merchant at a flower stand across from them called their attention, getting a glare from the suave merchant. This merchant had wild hair that reminded the flower girl, oddly enough, of a chocobo. He was dressed in a black muscle shirt, and baggy cargo pants. "Don't fall for dat man's tricks gal! He didn't even grow dose flouwas!"

"Stop meddling, fowl head, eh?!" The suave merchant yelled at the loud one.

The spikey haired one shook a fist at him. "Bugger off, pretty boy!"

_Aerith's antennas twitched..._

"Oh, he's here." Aerith said to no one in particular before she walked off, ignoring both of the flower merchants.

"Um, excuse me!" called out to Aerith, but she simply kept on walking away as though she didn't hear him. "Young woman! Come back!"

_She was gone..._

"DAMMIT!" The suave merchant pulled out an unusually long sword that was hidden behind the cart and assumed a stance. "You keep losing me my customers!"

The rude merchant lifted an abnormally large sword that was lying on the wall behind him, and held it in preparation to attack. "Wanna fight about it?!"

"THIS ENDS NOW!" The suave merchant roared, charging at the rude merchant with his masamune poised to strike.

"LAST DANCE!" The rude merchant yelled, lifting his buster sword over his head.

* * *

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**_And I'll be with you in a moment..._**

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_Rinoa sits in her seat, waiting for the speaker to come join her..._

_....waiting....._

_..............waiting....._

_.............................waiting......._

"Um, hey? When do I get my interview?"

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"So, you wanna tell me what these are for?"_ Seifer asks Fuujin, accepting the wad of cash that she hands to him. _"This is kinda shady."

_"REFERENCE." Fuujin replies, accepting the disc he holds out to her._

"But why are they all about, him?" _Seifer removes the shades, and the bald wig he has on._ "You got somethin' cookin?"

_"In time, you'll know." Fuujin replies vaguely before she leaves him to himself._ _"Have fun talking with her."_

"...If you say so." _Seifer wipes the sweat off of his forehead before fitting the bald wig on his head properly again. He looks to the door that Fuujin made her exit through and shakes his head with a sigh. _"Weird." _He looks to the door of the room where Rinoa is awaiting his return._ "Heh, well, it's not hurting me."

* * *

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**_Turning our attention back to the instructors..._**

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"Home, sweet home!" Ellone cried out happily as she lead the group through the entering arc of the town. The two SeeD dropouts that usually guarded the entrance to the town had mysteriously disappeared. Perhaps they finally got bored? "Wow, things sure haven't changed much here."

"Never does." Quistis mused, rolling her eyes.

"Hey...isn't this the same theme from, Fisherman's Horizon?" Nida asked casually.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed." Zell snickered.

_The theme stopped..._

"...What happened?" Nida looked up at the sky as if awaiting an answer.

"You think we pissed _him_ off?" Zell asked the garden pilot.

"...I don't know..." Nida said uneasily.

"Get a move on, would you?" Xu said, walking past them.

"We better listen to her." Zell told Nida before doing as the enigmatic instructor ordered. Nida followed behind him, feeling a little guilty since the theme still had not returned....but, wait a second...

"Hey, Zell." Nida called after the martial artist as he quickened his pace. "Um, who were you talking about anyway?"

"Well," Quistis began, stretching her arms wide as she matched Squall's pace so that she was walking beside him. "Here we are. Don't you feel better now that the garden is miles away from us?"

"It's quiet." Squall answered her.

_I'll take that as a yes, then. _The blonde instructor thought before she threw an arm over his shoulder. Squall didn't make any verbal protests to the sudden closeness she decided to share with him, but he glanced at her, turning his attention back to what was ahead of him without a word. "Ellone seems to be happy." Quistis pointed out their older sister's mood as the girl greeted the elderly that she walked by. They greeted her just as happily. Apparently they had not forgotten about that little girl that got kidnapped so long ago.

"She's always happy." Squall responded. "That's just the way she is."

"Sort of like your polar opposite, huh?" The lovely Trepe teased him.

**"Whatever."** They both said at the same time.

"You're so predictable."

"You'd be surprised." Squall parried her words.

"...Eh?" Quistis wasn't exactly sure how to take those words, but before she could decipher their meaning, Xu broke them away from each other and assumed her place between them. _Xu?_ The blonde instructor inwardly growled at her close friend. _What the heck was that for?_

"This is a get away for all of us to bond with each other." Xu said with a knowing smirk that sent chills along Quistis's spine. "Let's not make any preemptive strikes."

"W-Whatever!" Quistis crossed her arms in denial.

"I think Squall might be rubbing off on you." Xu teased her friend. "That might do more bad than good in your case, Quisty."

"So where are we staying for the night?" Squall asked Xu, putting their girl chat on pause. "I doubt that any of the people around here would let us stay with them." _Not that I would appreciate their company any better._

"Me and Quistis are staying with Ellone at her old house." Xu answered him with a smile. "I'm sure you guys can find yourself a place. That is, unless you're willing to squeeze in bed with us?"

"I'll pass." Squall told her. "I'm sure that-" He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw a woman holding a sign that said 'INN' for small house beside the dirt path that the chocobo's roamed, on occasion. She had her hair styled exactly the same way the stewardesses did on the train. The door to the house opened, and a short young woman walked out, dressed in a maid outfit with the cap tilted to the side. The way she walked around with a pep in her step made the clothes seem a little juvenile on her frame.

"Get booked for tonight!" She called out cheerfully. "Only two beds left!"

Another woman walked out in a blue dress, and a wide brimmed hat that overshadowed her eyes. _"INTERCONTINENTAL BREAKFAST."_ She looked to Squall as if to beckon him over.

_Squall blinked curiously..._

"What's the matter?" Xu asked him. "I don't think I've ever seen that expression before."

"...Nothing..."

_At least I hope so..._

* * *

_Serving Squall on the train was an experience that I would like to have again under different circumstances. Hopefully I will be given that chance soon without the need to disguise myself, or dress myself for that matter. Getting off on Timber to reach the next train without being detected turned out to be a little more difficult than I had originally anticipated, however. It appears that the people still have not forgotten the sight of my face, even if I did make sure to keep a low profile while I was still partners with Seifer. Perhaps I may have been careless. _

_We have decided to lure Squall to us through an Inn we set up. We paid the couple that owned the home a fair amount that would allow them to stay at Deiling City for a few days; a fair trade, considering what I have planned for my dear lion. While Kisiragi, and the mute doll maker have been quite helpful to me, I must find a way to prevent them from foiling my plans. Even if Kisiragi has been cooperative thus far, the girl clearly has her own agendas in mind as well. Something else has been bothering me, though...I can't exactly place it... another interloper may be imminent._

_-Stalker's Log, September 24th-__

* * *

**To Be Continued...

* * *

  
**_


	9. Mirror

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

_**Chapter Eight: Odd Occurrences**__**  
**_

_By Traingham_

* * *

Squall Leonhart couldn't really be considered a team player by many, or a lover of group activities. He mostly preferred to take care of business on his own, much like the time he jumped from a high rise platform to rush through a group of Galbadian soldiers, and engage the onlookers with his amazing display of driving talent before crashing into the gateway to challenge his rival, and the sorceress. One would question whether he did that sort of thing because he secretly loved the fame and attention that he got from it, or simply because his existence as the main character forced him into such situations that would further emphasize the awesomeness that clearly was the building blocks of every cell in his body. I digress; could one truly believe that Squall, somehow being able to get ahead of his comrades in most situations, really could have been outrun by Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt while on the run from a murderous arachno-machine...of death? Well, considering Selphie's small frame, and boundless energy; perhaps. Zell should be pretty agile as well, considering his fighting style...ahem...still a bit suspicious, though. Getting back to topic, the other instructors knew well that Mr. Leonhart was a lone wolf by nature, so when he accepted Quistis's invitation to join them at Winhill, quite a bit of suspicion began to hang in the air like a poisonous gas. That said, it was obvious that they would have to keep an eye on the lion, or he would surely escape, and no Squall meant a sad Ellone...and who knows where that lead to because I sure as hell didn't want to know.

Sitting at the dining table in Ellone's old home, which had gone into a bit of reconstruction since it had been left to rot after Raine's passing, Squall Leonhart realized that he was bored. This usually only occurred after a few days passing of doing nothing at all, but being in absolute deep thought, however; the atmosphere of Winhill seemed to increase the rate of boredom by more than what would be deemed normal. God, what a depressing place.

"What are we supposed to do here?" Squall let out a soft groan, his head falling backwards so that he was looking to the ceiling. Quistis, Xu, and Ellone went up about twenty minutes earlier, and they still had not returned. he wondered just what they were doing up there. Zell, and Nida decided to do a little exploring of the town fields to see if they could kill time until Xu, And Quistis started the scheduled workshop. Now that Squall really took the time to think about it, what was he doing sitting here, again? _This isn't too productive..._ Squall pushed back on his chair, and stood up to head for the door, but-

"Hey," Quistis poked her head down from the top of the stairway. "You wouldn't be going anywhere, would you?"

Squall took the moment to blink at her odd question. By the looks of things, he would think that it would be pretty obvious to her, what he was planning to do. It wasn't as if he was just going to wait around until they decided not to take their sweet time in coming down. "What does it look like I'm going to do?"

"We're almost ready." Quistis told him. "Just wait a bit."

"I've been waiting for a while already." Squall retorted, placing a hand on his hip.

"Fine, then." Quistis finally decided to come down, revealing the change of clothes she had on. She changed out of her instructing uniform, into some hip hugging jeans, and a light pink button up shirt. "If you need a babysitter, then you've got one."

"Who said that?" Squall raised an eyebrow.

"Your whining."

"I was not whining." He rolled his eyes. "I just want some fresh air."

Quistis narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "No, you just want an excuse to escape."

"Escape?" Squall made an uncharacteristic pause as he raised a hand to his neck to scratch out a sudden itch. "Why would I do something like that?"

"We're ready now!" Ellone announced melodically, descending the stairs with Xu behind her. The enigmatic instructor had not changed out of her uniform, strangely enough. Squall couldn't help, but feel a slight twinge of disappointment. There was a faint desire in the back of his mind that wanted to see how she would have looked in casual clothes, but that feeling was squashed when he looked to the slight smirk on the lovely Trepe's face. She had been stalling him this entire time to buy the other two women a chance to corner him, and he played right in to her hands without realizing it. She could be so slick sometimes...

_I should have seen this coming..._ The young commander inwardly deflated in defeat.

Ellone directed her attention to Squall when she noticed how close to the door he was standing, and asked, "Were you going somewhere?" Her tone was innocent and naive, but that was probably an obvious way of giving him the message that she was neither at the moment.

"...No." Squall lied to her, walking to the window to act as though he was merely taking a look outside, which he did so, naturally, until something outside actually caught his eye, and it wasn't very pleasant. _What is she doing here?_ His eyes remained on the Queen of Cards as she descended the short flight of stairs from the haunted mansion. She looked the same way she had been the last time he'd seen her. Did this woman ever age?

"What's caught your eye, Instructor Leonhart?" Xu questioned, suddenly appearing beside him.

"Nothing." Squall answered her, turning away from the window before he aroused some attention that he'd rather live without. When he took a seat at the table again, Ellone assumed her placed behind him, and placed her hands on his shoulders. Quistis took the seat across from him, and Xu took the one beside him, leaving the two seat at the ends of the table vacant, as well as the one beside the blonde instructor.

"So..." Squall started off, his eyeballs looking to his left side in an attempt to get a glimpse of his older sister standing behind him. "...You're just going to sit around?"

"Well, yeah." Ellone replied, resting her chin on the top of his head. "I just came to accompany you guys. It was getting sort of boring at Esthar."

"Boring?" Xu said in a questioning tone, looking to Ellone with a slight smirk. "Someone needs a boyfriend."

Ellone flushed lightly, "I'm fine. Thank you!"

"Maybe we should get the girls together when we return." Quistis poked fun at her older sister. "We'll be able to change that." She stared down the blushing woman until Nida, and Zell walked in looking as though they'd been attacked by a giant bird...which they had.

"A-are we..." Nida cleared his throat. "Um, late?"

"Sorry if we...worried you." Zell rasped, still in a state of shock.

_Squall, Quistis, Xu, and Ellone stares at them..._

_Nida and Zell stare back, their chests rise in and out from exhaustion._

_...They turn away._

"So, anyway-" Zell and Nida nearly face fault at Quistis's words. "Let's discuss class discipline."

Xu directed a look at Zell, and Nida that chilled them before gesturing to the empty seats. "Instructor Dincht." She gestured to the seat beside Quistis. "Nida." She gestured to the one at the end of the table, beside Squall and Quistis. "Would you?"

**"Yes ma'am!"** Both of them didn't miss a beat, sitting in their directed seats.

Nida made his way to the seat assigned to him, however, Ellone was quick to take the seat for herself. She looked up at the flight instructor when he blinked at her, and cheerfully said, "The one at the other end is yours."

"Um...fine then." He said wisely, turning to head for the other seat. _I don't want to know what she put Zell through..._

"Well, I guess I'll begin, then." Quistis announced. "Issues with the new recruits are the same as always." She tilts her head to the side as she counts off the issues with her right hand. "Rebelliousness, competitive streaks, grudges, and such." She looked to Xu with a slight grin. "Sounds familiar, hm?"

"Nothing new for you, eh?" Xu mirrored her friend's grin. "Although I'm sure it can't compare to what Mr. Leonhart and Mr. Almasy shared."

"Of course not." Quistis chuckled. "Well, getting back on topic; I've been able to breeze through most classes. Other than the occasional spat between some of the candidates, they've behaved. Of course, Raajin likes to be a clown most of the time, but I've learned to just take it as good natured fun. I'll take that any day over scars, and bruises."

_Squall sighed..._

_Quistis patted Zell on the shoulder._

"And you, instructor Dincht?" The lovely Trepe asked her friend with a bit of mirth. "Have you beaten anyone to a pulp yet?"

"Hey, I'm pretty level headed." Zell defended himself. "Besides, my class ain't so bad at all. In fact, I feel like I can relate to some of my students."

"Oh?" Xu cocked her head to the side inquisitively. "How so?"

Zell grinned at her interest. "They remind me of when I was younger."

"Geez, Zell." Nida chuckled. "You act like there's a severe age gap between you and your students."

"Anyway. Before Nida rudely interrupted me-" Zell shoved a hand in Nida's face. "They're just like-"

"A shounen, high school manga series?" Ellone offered.

_Zell froze in place, mouth left wide open and all..._

Xu smiled politely. "I think you hit the nail on the head, Ellone." The rest of the instructors looked to Nida as the martial artist slumped in his seat, defeated by Ellone's words. She could be so bluntly cruel sometimes.

"Me?" Nida placed a hand on his chest, leaning away slightly. When Xu, and Quistis nodded, he cleared his throat. "Everything is running smoothly. Everyone studies well without any interruptions, and they listen obediently. It actually kind of scares me."

"They're like background characters, right?" Ellone asked.

"Er, what do you mean?" Nida asked, his right eye twitching.

"They're just there to fill in the empty spaces."

"T-to fill in the empty spaces?" Nida's hands gripped the side of the table, shakily.

"Yeah." Ellone chirped with her usual smile. "They're not supposed to draw much attention to themselves with unique personality traits." She crossed her arms, a look of concentration forming on her face. "You know...kind of like-"

"I think he gets the idea." Squall told his older sister, placing a hand on her arm.

"It's not fair..." Nida grumbled, his sights falling to the surface of the table like a fallen soul.

"Thank you for assisting, Ellone." Xu told the woman with a slight bow of her head. "Now we can move on to the fun stuff," she turned her attention to the lion sitting beside her. "Like your class, Instructor Leonhart. I know you have tales to tell."

"With those freaks, who wouldn't?" Zell mumbled, still feeling the blow of Ellone's words. He slumped over the table, his hand holding up his head from the side. "All the student complaints you hear in the garden is mainly because of them."

"They stand out..." Nida sighed. "Not like-"

"But Xu," Squall spoke before Nida could finish, drawing everyone's attention away from him. "What about your class?" T_he rotation clearly means that you're next. Why the heck are we jumping to me for?_

**_"Squall." _**Ellone and Quistis called his attention with stern looks in their eyes. It did well to unsettle the young commander. Was there some kind of unspoken rule that he was not informed of, that made all of Xu's activities a secret. What kind of world was he living in? Fortunately, he would never know because the fourth wall was strong with this one.

Realizing that he was being forced to go, Squall submitted to the others before something dreadful would happen. "You already know my situation with, Matron; She had a squad of her White SeeD candidates sent to Balamb so that I could train them. So far, things have been running the way I've imagined them to be..."

"Meaning?" Quistis picked up when he trailed off.

"Yes." Xu nudged him in the arm. "Elaborate, please."

"..............." Squall blinked.

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Squall walked around to the front of his desk before leaning back on it, arms crossed in his favorite pose. His students looked back at him expectantly. The stage was set.

Squall began, "Undead."

**_"Phoenix down, Cure, Cura, Curaga, Life, Full-life...."_** The candidates paused awkwardly when faced with Squall's expectant glare. They were missing something.

Setzer broke out of his deep concentration to offer a suggestion.

"Yeah?" Squall acknowledged him upon seeing the gambler's hand up.

"Affection." He replied, truly convinced that it was indeed true.

_Everyone else slumped in their chairs...with the exception of Fuujin, and Lulu._

_"HOLY."_ Fuujin answered her instructor diligently.

"That's righ-"

_"ALEXANDER." _Fuujin offered before he could finish, getting a groan from all the other students.

"Yea-"

_"FIRE, OCCASIONALLY."_

"I knew it!" Aya slammed a fist on the table, causing Ashe to flinch in fright.

"But you always think-"

"What?" The blonde pyromaniac cut off Sora, pointing a finger at him in a threatening manner.

"Ignore me..." The keyblade master wisely backed down.

Squall cleared his throat, making Aya turn back around to face him. "Sorry, sir."

"Moving on." Squall got their attention. "There are two islands-"

_"ONE CLOSEST TO HELL-"_

"The other towards Heaven." Fuujin turned around ever so slowly to face the person who dared to steal her glory. There in a seat two rows behind her sat a young woman with brown, flowing hair, and a band over her forehead that covered her left eye. She was a stunning beauty; one that she was shocked to no have noticed before. Where did she come fro-

"Beatrix." Squall nodded to his students in acknowledgment before nodding to Fuujin as well for her answer, although that was something that was pretty common in her case since she jumped at every question he posed. Still, she couldn't forgive her...

_Beatrix..._ Fuujin glanced at the woman before turning her attention back to the instructing lion. She was like some twisted clone of herself. They were both devoted to the commander, as well as having one eye covered; Fuujin's right, and Beatrix's left. One eye that longed to meet their commander's...rivals sure suck.

"Glad to be of service, my lord." Beatrix told Squall with a slight bow of her head.

Squall blinked at her words, but proceeded with the lesson nonetheless.

_BEATRIX._ A flame exploded within Fuujin. Rivals really blow.

"And the creatures that can be encountered on these islands are-"

_"MALBORO, OCHU, TRI-FACE, AND CHIMERA ON HEAVEN, AND-"_

"Grendels, Ruby dragons, T-Rexuars, Hexadragons, Blue dragons, and Malboros on the islands closest to Hell." Beatrix picked up quickly after Fuujin listed Heaven's inhabitants.

"Draw points are Auras, Flares, Full-lifes, Holys, Tornadoes, Quakes, Triples, and Ultimas, instructor Leonhart." Aerith offered her input on the islands without even being asked.

Squall felt a chill run down his neck. "Good...that was my next question."

_Beatrix, and Fuujin turned their heads ever so slowly towards the flower girl._

"They're the strongest monsters ever recorded in the archives!" Yuffie called out, flailing her arms for his attention. "But Hell's monsters can be weakened by inflicting a few abnormal statuses!"

"...That's...good." Squall praised the wannabe ninja.

"Of course, you'd have to be a bit wary of Malboros due to their _Bad Breath. _It is capable of inflicting enough status ailments to fall a man easily." Cid explained, folding his hands behind his head with a cocky grin. Certainly the pride of a mad scientist. "Their tentacles do sell well, though. Braving a few can make you a wealthy man, however."

"However, if you junction yourself with Esunas, you're sure to have a fighting chance against it!" Aya called out, not wanting to be left behind. "Confuse is a pretty nasty ailment, so if anything it'd be best to be immune to that if you wanna counter attack. Any other way, and you'll be killing each other." She sat back in her seat and grinned. "So there."

"Don't forget about, Limit breaks." Rude added, adjusting his shades. "If you're short on Auras, a little ganging up on a friend won't hurt. They'll thank you later."

_Right..._ Squall thought a bit guiltily, remembering Quistis's woe whenever they returned to one of the islands to level up. It wasn't their fault that she was gifted with _'Degenerator'_, right? "I'll have to treat her somewhere later for that..." The young commander whispered to no one in particular. "Well, the islands are taken care of. You'd all be able to handle yourselves well." He pushed off from the desk, and looked at the clock at the other end of the room. Right now would be a good time to dismiss them.

Squall adjusted the collar of his instructing jacket. "Alright, then. You're all dismissed."

_They all gathered their things a rose from their seats to make their exit...with the exception of a few._

_"INSTRUCTOR."_ Fuujin approached the commander, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder. _"I require extra help."_

_Seriously? You're the last person who needs extra help with their studies._ The lion inwardly thought, though it certainly didn't show on the surface. "Not necessarily." Squall told her, placing his hands on his hips. "You're doing pretty smoothly. I think you're far ahead of everyone else in the class."

"_I'd do better if-"_

"Honestly, Fuujin, you've been through as much as I have out there." Squall interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. "At your level, you could be doing my job."

_"NOT TRUE."_

"He's quite right." Beatrix interjected, joining the conversation. "I believe that you are far too advanced to be at this level. Why not take up something a bit more challenging?" The alexandrian knight asked the silver-haired student, crossing one arms over her stomach while stroking her chin with her other hand. She turned away from Fuujin when she glared at her, and turned her attention to Squall. "I on the other hand, would be grateful for your assistance, my lord."

"What time period do you think you're in?" Squall questioned the knight.

"Whichever one suits you." Beatrix answered him with a subtle smile. "I am willing to fit whatever tastes you prefer."

".....Dammit." Squall sighed, slapping a hand to his forehead. _What the hell did I do to deserve this crap? To hell with karma. It doesn't exist...._

"Excuse me!" Yuffie placed her hands of Fuujin, and Beatrix's shoulders to part a passage for herself before walking up to the commander. "I seriously nee-"

"We'll meet at five in the library." Squall answered the kunoichi's plea before she could even finish before making himself scarce. Anything to get them off of his back. "If you're not there by that time, I'm gonna assume that you're better off...." His words echoed through the hall as he got farther away from the classroom.

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"Did you get all of that?" Squall asked all of the other instructors at the table. Quistis, and the others with the exception of Xu still had a gleam of wonder in their eyes from the detailed explanation that just popped up over the commander's head. That was amazing.

"How do you do that?" Zell asked, a little disappointed that the cloud that hovered over the lion's head had popped.

"I don't think-"

"Th-that's so cool!" Ellone spoke over Nida, grabbing Squall by the arm, and shaking him with excitement. "From now on, I'm using you as my memory projector!"

_Damn them..._ Squall cursed his unusual talents. _Damn them to hell._

"That should do it, then." Squall stood up from his seat, much to the dismay of his friends. He already did his song and dance. "I'm going to go out for some fresh air now."

"Don't go yet!" Ellone held on to the sleeve of his jacket to keep him from going any further, but he simply kept on walking until she was forced to let go of him. "If you leave, you can't sleep here for tonight!"

"I'll manage." Squall responded to her words as he took his leave. When the door closed behind him, Xu and Quistis looked to Ellone with frowns on their faces. Surely, Zell and Nida would jump at the chance to take the guest bedroom now. They were hoping to keep Squall prisoner for the night.

"Hm. I didn't think he would actually resist those conditions." Ellone said with a bit of disappointment. "Do you think he found another place already?"

"I doubt it." Quistis laughed. "He'll be back, even if he has to sneak in later."

* * *

Fuujin passed her hand over the bed she was making to smooth out the wrinkles on the sheets before walking to the window to pull open the shades, and let in the twilight. A soft, blue light filled the open passage of the window, caressing the woman's body with its soothing vibe. It felt so cool, and calm. She turned away from the window so that she could set her sights back on the bed that she just made. If by chance...she could seduce him...could it happen?

She pressed her index, and middle finger to her lips with a sigh. _These lips were once pressed against his..._ Her thoughts went to the time that she sneaked into Squall's dorm room, only to leave with more than she could have ever imagined. The parting gift that the sleeping commander left her with was one that she would never forget. Nights have been more than restless ever since. It also awakened a beast that had been lying dormant within her, and even now, as she pondered such risque thoughts, it threatened to consume her. Fortunately, a knock at the door kept her right hand from sliding far too deep underneath her dress.

_"COMING."_ Fuujin growled, frustrated at being pulled away from her primal ritual. She descended the steps to the first floor, doing her best to force away the rosy blush that filled her cheeks. _"YES?"_ She asked after opening the door, to find Yuffie and Lulu holding shopping bags in their hands.

"We've got the food." Yuffie announced with a groan. "These are kinda heavy...could you please let us in?"

_Lulu nodded in agreement, a bead of sweat trailing down her neck, down a tunnel of flesh..._

_"PASS."_ Fuujin stepped aside for the to go by.

Yuffie walked to the dining table, and set down the grocery bags with a groan. "So," Yuffie placed her hands behind her back, and bet backwards with an audible crack. "Did Instructor Leon come by to book himself yet?"

_"NO." _Fuujin replied, closing the door.

"That's lame..." Yuffie deflated, taking a seat at the table as Lulu took the items they purchased out of the bag to organize them in the fridge. The ninja rested her head on one arm and traced circles on the table with her other hand, asking, "Do you think he'll really come?"

_"HE WILL."_ The one eyed beauty answered her partner, taking a peak out the kitchen window to check for a glimpse of her beloved. _I know him pretty well...those other instructors will drive him to us, sure enough..._

------------------------------------

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_**Squall's situation....**_

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"Excuse me...sir..." Squall stopped in his stride when a voice halted him. He looked to his left to find the suave flower merchant holding a bouquet to him. The man looked to be in terrible shape, almost as if he had just gotten back from a fight to the death.

"What?" Squall asked, quirking a brow at the man's appearance.

"Can you please...give this to someone for me?"

"I'm not a delivery bo-"

"Have...mercy..." The man was now slumping against his cart as if he would pass out. "Please..."

Squall sighed. Boy, was this stupid. He held his hand out to the man, looking to the side in irritation. "Fine." He accepted the bouquet of flowers. "To who?" When he didn't receive an answer, he looked to the man to find him unconscious. He must have either been really tired, or seriously stoned. At the moment, Squall naturally didn't care. He simply walked away with the flowers in hand, and proceeded with his earlier objective. He walked past another flower stand that was being run by another unconscious merchant, and crossed the bridge away from the town square.

"I haven't seen her yet..." Squall muttered to no one in particular, referring to the Card Queen that he'd seen stalking around earlier. Running into her was like a random encounter in itself; intense and annoying after a while of experiencing it. "Wait a second-" A familiar woman came out of the flower shop along the road in front of him. A woman that looked exactly like. "Her-" Squall ran to the side of the trail and carefully made his way along the hillside that led into another colorful field fo flowers. After stepping on a loose piece of soil, he was sent sliding down into the sea of colors.

_I never realized how colorful this place was..._ The commander thought to himself, walking through the field, making sure not to crush any of the flowers underfoot as he did. The melody _'Find Your Way'_ started to play in the background as he traversed further into the field. Before long, the flowers started to grow even taller, and taller until he was up to his shoulders in them. This must have been some sick version of hell. It had to be!

"Where am I?" Squall started to feel shivers run down his spine as he turned around only to find more flowers. It appeared that he managed to lose his sense of direction in his attempt to escape the Card Queen. "Argh..." The colors started to make him feel a bit dizzy. Just turning around made it seem as though he'd been sent spinning around a few times. For a moment he regretted leaving the others behind. _Dying here would be pretty embarrass-_

**"UMPH!"** Squall suddenly bumped into someone.

_Who the hell?_ Both people thought. Squall turned around to face a woman with red eyes, and silver, dark hair. Her front bangs were style upwards, arching in different directions. She had a black choker on her neck with a chain hanging down from it. She had on a leather outfit, though the top was pretty scant, held by red straps over her shoulders, and designed so that it covered her breast with a silver cross holding it together; however, it left her midriff exposed. Her leather pants were skin tight, ending at the upper half of her calf with a three inch gap of skin before continuing all the way through to her leather heels. She was a gorgeous woman, but Squall could tell just by looking at her that she was a hard edge.

_"How did you get in here?" _They both asked each other at the same time.

_"Wait."_ They both held their hands out to each other for the other to talk. _"Just stop talking for a-hey- stop doing that."_

_They both sighed, crossing their arms and looking away from each other..._

_"Look-"_ They both started again, but the woman was quick to solve their problem, placing a gloved hand over his mouth.

"Who are you?" She asked him in a husky voice that reminded him of a certain silver-haired stalker. "Are you the owner of this field." She slipped her hand away.

"No." Squall answered her. "I just got lost here."

"...Me, too." She sympathized.

**_"I just wanted some time alone..."_** They both mumbled at the same time before glancing at each other.

"And your name might be?" Squall quirked an eyebrow at the mysterious woman.

"Paine." She answered him, without extending a hand. "Yours?"

"Squall." The commander replied.

_"Hi."_ They both greeted at the same time.

_We've got to stop doing that..._ The both inwardly growled.

_"So which way did you come from?"_

_They both stayed silent for a moment..._

_"....So...I....Are you.....dammit...."_ They both crossed their arms again in frustration.

"Did you come from Winhill by any chance?" Squall asked as quickly as he could. Since he said it so calmly, it came out a bit comical, though the woman's stoic mask did not waver.

"Yeah." Paine replied. "My two partners were sort of working on my nerves so I decided to go for a walk. I've been regretting it for the past twenty minutes."

"Same here." Squall told her. "I guess it shouldn't hurt to work together, then."

"It wouldn't kill me." Paine accepted his offer.

"Good." Squall nodded before turning around and walking off. When he almost vanished into the flowers again, she reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder. "What?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

"You're going to lose me already?"

"Then," He grabbed her gloved hand with his own, and held it firmly. "Let's do it this way."

"Alright." Paine told him, squeezing his hand lightly to let him know that she had a good grip. "Let's go." At her command, he started walking. Flowers brushed against their cheeks as they traveled in what they prayed was a straight line. It was kind of hard to tell with all of the colors that swirled around them with the breeze. It almost felt as though they were walking in circles, but the lion disregarded the feeling so he wouldn't lose his confidence. It wouldn't do any good to embarrass himself in front of his new found partner.

"So...where are you from?" Paine suddenly asked him in an attempt to shatter the tense air that surrounded them.

"Centra." Squall answered her. "You?"

"Esthar." Paine replied.

_....Silence...._

"...So...what do you do?" Squall inquired, walking on without missing a beat.

"I'm a treasure hunter."

"Mercenary."

"That sounds interesting." Pain mused. "How is it."

"Depends." Squall told her. "My last real employer was a resistance leader. I ended up fighting in a war against Galbadia."

"Pretty intense. So, I'm assuming that you specialize in some type of combat."

"I'm a gunblade specialist." Squall replied before feeling her come to a halt.

"Seriously?" A look of genuine interest passed over her lovely features. "No kidding?"

"Not kidding." Squall told her, whipping out his Lionheart...out of nowhere.

"Nice..." She examined it closely. "This is some top notch work you've got here. The materials to build it must have been pretty hard to acquire."

"Thanks. So what's your expertise?" Squall asked.

"I'm a swordsman, too." She told him, whipping out her sword, a blade with a wicked design of a skull at the base, and a red hilt. "I've been looking into mastering gunblades, though, so you can imagine my surprise in meeting you."

"This is a custom, right?" Squall asked her, running his hand along her sword. _You've got a nice sword yourself..._

"One of a kind." Paine nodded. "You'll never see another like it."

"What a shame." Squall said with a bit of disappointment as he put away his blade.

"Why's that?" Paine asked, doing the same.

"It'd be hard to have a duel out in this field." Squall replied, gesturing to the flowers that surrounded them.

"Oh." Paine raised an eyebrow. "You wanna duel already?"

"You don't?" Squall asked, a ghost of a smirk in his words even though his lips never curled into one.

"...Heh. I suppose you've got me there." The silver haired swordsman chuckled softly before she felt him grab her hand again, although for some reason, this time it felt a little less forced. In fact she felt comfortable with this man. As he lead her through the fields, she lost track of time. Just staring into the back of his head felt relaxing, and before the sun completely set into the horizon-

"Wow." Squall said in his usual dull tone, though it was actually surprise in his voice. "We're out."

"Looks like it." Paine said, letting go of his hand. They ended up beside the hillside that the lion ended up sliding down from. What an odd coincidence. "I guess it's easier to be at peace of mind with another person helping you."

_They paused to stare at each other for a moment..._

_**"Whatever."**_Both of them shrugged at the same time.

"Well, take care then." Squall told her.

"Yeah...you, too." She said with a nod, but they both didn't move away from each other. Something seemed to be holding them back. This couldn't have possibly been mere coincidence, right? They must have met in the fields for a reason.

_It's almost like looking into a mirror..._ They both thought, narrowing their eye at each other. _Maybe...._ They leaned closer, and closer until they were almost eye to eye...

_"Maybe not."_ They both brushed the thought aside.

"Maybe we'll meet again some time in the future." Paine told him, walking in the direction opposite of him.

"Maybe not." Squall replied, walking in the other direction. He walked up onto the trail again, and proceeded past the flower shop that the Card Queen came out of before he got into that whole mess a few minutes ago. As he was walking, however, the image of the female swordsman lingered in his mind. He didn't understand why, but he could tell that there was something a bit off about their meeting. Perhaps he was supposed to be having some sort of epiphany and he was too dense to realize it. In any case-

"Ah!" Squall snapped out of his daze to find that he bumped into someone again. _I've got to stop doing that._

_"Oh, wow. Are those for me?"_

_**That voice....**_

_**....it couldn't be....**_

_**.......it was impossible.....**_

_**..........there just could be no way......**_

Squall lowered his gaze a bit to find Aerith looking up at him with her hands clasped to her chest, that damn smile gracing her lovely features. He was too surprised to even notice the bouquet of flowers leaving his right hand when she took them from him. "Thank you, Instructor Leonhart. This was so thoughtful of you."

_**...But he didn't hear that.**_

All Squall could think, was a _Fuujin-esque-_

_CRAP._

* * *

_I'm beginning to feel a bit of frustration. I've prepared everything for Squall, but he's taking his time in coming to us. Perhaps I will have to go out and search for him myself. Ah...but it would look a bit suspicious for me to search for him..hmm. I wonder if he's immune to 'Sleep'. Maybe with enough caution, I can put him out cold and drag him into a secluded area just for me and him...NO! I must exercise self control...self control. First I'll lure him in, and then I'll earn my rewards. Yes, that's it. Patience is all I need in order to succeed....so then, why do I feel slightly nervous?_

_-Stalker's Log, September 24th-_ **_LOG ONE_**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

___

_Patience....Patience....Patience...._

_-Stalker's Log, September 24th-_ _**LOG TWO**_

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___

_...Oh...I guess I'll have to fix his bed again..._

_-Stalker's Log, September 24th-_

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *


	10. Obstacles

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

_**Chapter Nine: Inn of Illusions**_

_By Traingham_

* * *

Persistence; the stuff of legend. Every story can't go on without it, and every world would be left in shambles if not for its infinite capabilities, or maybe life would just be boring, right? Squall's quaint life would not have been as interesting without it, as only an individual with enough patience and persistence could break through the cold wall of ice that separated him from the rest of the world in general. Persistence is what pushed Rinoa on to annoy her way into the lion's heart; it brought Adel's reign over Esthar to an end; it got that one player that depended on Guardian forces for more than half of the story through the trials of the fourth disc, but most of all, it helped Ultimecia get somewhere with her life. She brought the idea of soul searching to a whole different level, however, she's...er...dead...now...or in the future...ahem. Now, persistence can also be used in a different fashion. It could be used for the evil of mankind. Now, that isn't to say that Ultimecia was on the good side, but the story was getting a little trippy anyway, so we'll excuse that since it brought on the stunning climax. On the other hand, Aerith Gainsborough, was seen as one on the side of evil by Squall Leonhart, for it could only be such vile forces that kept on closing the distance between her and himself. It could only be bad karma that constantly placed him in situations that he would much rather not take part in, such as the one he was in now.

Looking back at the flower girl that was now clutching the bouquet that was in his left hand moments ago to her chest, Squall could not help, but feel an ever so slight, twinge of paranoia. All things considered, this meeting was odd and unexpected. Days at the garden, being bothered by the young woman, kept the thought of meeting her in Winhill from being a mere coincidence. Then again, knowing Aerith, she would most likely just tell him without any reservations that she was, indeed, following him. So, giving it a shot-

"What are you doing here?" Squall asked Aerith, recovering from the headlock that shock had been binding him in for the last minute or so.

"Here to see you, of course." Aerith answered him truthfully before she brought the flowers in her hand up to her face. She gave them a light sniff to take in thier scent, petals brushing along her face, and lowered them to return her attention to her dear instructor. "Are you surprised?" That oh-so expected smile graced her lovely face following the question.

_Hard to tell whether that wasn't your intention all along..._ The lion thought, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly before he went on to answer her, "Shouldn't I be?"

"As good as a reaction I'll get from you, I suppose." The flower girl giggled before the commander casually walked on past her. She appeared to be totally fine with it, turning on her heel to follow him. Squall glanced to his left to find her keeping a steady pace and inwardly sighed to himself. First the field of death, and now he was walking with the reaper herself. Gradually, he was beginning to wonder if leaving his fellow instructors was such a good idea in the first place. Maybe a game over was heading his way and he was too dense to see it.

"So, I see that you like flowers." Aerith commented, sounding rather pleased...more than usual, anyway.

"..." Squall walked on, ignoring the unwelcome glares that the passing people sent his way.

"I saw you walking the flower field earlier-"

"I don't like flowers." Squall cut the young woman off. _Get off my back, will you?_

Aerith balled a fist to her mouth, humming disapprovingly. "Oh, why not?"

"I just don't."

"What have they ever done to you?" Aerith questioned him, tilting her head to the side in a curious fashion. At her words, Squall couldn't help but glare at her for a moment. She just kept on talking, didn't she? What was it going to take for her to...

_Dammit._ Squall came to a sudden halt, getting the girl to blink at him while he took a moment to silently stare at her and gather his thoughts on what to do next.

"Yes?" The young woman asked, innocently. "Is something wrong?"

"How did you get here?"

"By train, and rental car."

"With who?" Squall asked, arms crossed.

"The card woman."

_She brought you here? What started that partnership? _"Is she going to take you back to the garden?" Squall did his best not to sound hopeful, despite that being a rather hard thing for him to accomplish, regardless.

"I don't think so." Aerith answered him with a small grin; one that brought the same shivers as her usual smile. "Besides, I informed the headmaster that I would be accompanying you for the weekend."

_Now, why would you go on and do something like tha- _Squall's mental path hit a dead end as something finally clicked. Was this girl serious? "Meaning...you're my responsibility now?"

"I am your student." She winked at him. For once, she saw an emotion flash across his face. _He looks like a kitten when he does that..._

"..." Squall binked a few times before placing his hands on his hips and turning away from her. The flower girl watched him tap his foot a few times before turning back to her and blinking a few more times. Squall Leonhart, commander of Balamb Garden, was stumped. He couldn't just send her on her way. There was no telling what might happen to her after she left. Then again, monsters seemed to just ignore her no matter where she went. Field tests with her informed him of that much, but that didn't stop people from hurting her. There were jerks all around the world just waiting for a girl like her to pass them by.

_This girl must be punishment for something I've done in my past. _He narrowed his eyes in deep concentration. _But...what have I done to deserve this?_

_

* * *

_

_**~ { ...Ahem... } ~**_

**_Speaking with Zell..._**

_Zell Looks to the lion sitting beside him with an excited gleam in his eyes._

"Yo, Squall. Show me your gunblade, will ya?"

"..."

"C'mon, man!"

"..."

"Just a peek!" _The martial artist pleads, clasping both of his hands together._

"..."

_**+...+**_

**_Speaking with Seifer..._**

"I love battles. I fear nothing. The way I look at it, as long as you make it out of a battle alive, you're one step close to fulfilling your dream." _Seifer says calmly to Squall as he looks down upon the entrance of the satellite tower with him. _

_Squall sighs. _"What? Your dream?"

"You have one too, don't you?" _Seifer asks with a hint of hope._

_Squall looks away, crossing his arms. _"...Sorry, but I'm going to pass on the subject."

_**+...+**_

**_ Speaking with Quistis..._**

_Quistis leans over the rail, looking out at the view of the garden in the distance with Squall leaning back against it by her side. _"They told me that I failed as an instructor. Basically, that I lacked leadership qualities. I was a SeeD by the age of 15, got my instructor license at 17...It's only been a year since I got it... I wonder where I went wrong... I did my best"_ She waits for a response from Squall only to find that he isn't even looking at her. _"... Are you listening?"

_Squall looks to her with a bored expression. _

"Are you done yet...? I don't wanna talk about it. What am I supposed to say about other people's problems?"

"I'm not asking you to say anything. I just want you to listen."

"Then go talk to a wall."

_**+...+**_

**_Speaking with Rinoa..._**

_Rinoa glares at Squall when he lets out a quiet chuckle._

"What's so funny! You're terrible! So...why do you think Seifer may already be dead?"

_Squall crosses his arms after being snapped at by the resistance leader. _"The president of Galbadia and the sorceress joined forces. Seifer attacked the president. It's no surprise that Seifer may have been killed because of it."

_Rinoa bows her head with worry before raising it quickly to retort. _"Even so! I still hope he's alive."

"As long as you don't get your hopes up, you can take anything...You feel less pain. Anyway, whatever wish you have is none of my business."

_**+...+**_

**_ Speaking to Irvine..._**

_Irvine runs up to Squall as the Garden rocks from another ram from the opposing garden..._

"SQUALL, IT'S RINOA!"

_Squall orders some SeeDs to go assist in the Quad._

"DAMMIT, SQUALL! SHE'S GONNA DIE, MAN!"

"..." _Squall blinks..._

* * *

_Hm...can't think of anything..._ Squall thought to himself. _I guess life just tends to be pretty cruel in general..._

"So, what were you about to do, Instructor Leonhart?" Aerith asked, snapping the young commander out of his trance.

Squall blinked when she tugged him by the sleeve of his leather jacket to get his attention, mumbling, "Oh, right. I forgot you were there." He offered her no answer, simply proceeding along the dirt trail again. Aerith naturally followed him without any indication of being affected by his rudeness. It appeared that she was just as impervious to the lion's cold mannerisms as Xu was...well maybe not like Xu was, but, whatever.

"Where are we heading?" She asked him, walking beside him again.

"...An Inn." Squall answered her, feeling a little shiver at her inclusion of herself within his agendas.

"I guess it is getting a little dark." The flower girl commented casually, the pleasant tone in her voice never leaving her. A cool breeze passed through them as they came close to reaching the other side of the town. Aerith held one hand beside her eye to keep her hair from getting in the way as it danced with the wind. "So are we sharing a room, then?" She missed the way Squall almost lost his footing.

"...No."

"And if by some chance, they happen to only have one room left?" Aerith persisted.

Squall narrowed his eye in growing annoyance. "...That's impossible in this town." _Not exactly what you would call a tourist attraction..._

"And what if it is possible?" She prodded him on.

"Then we'll have to sleep in one room together." _Obviously. Why the hell are you so eager to know?_

"So what happens if there's only one bed to each room?"

"That won't happen." Squall answered irritably, increasing his pace, but the girl never fell behind in the slightest. It was almost as though she read his movements before he even made them. _Where's a tonberry when you need one?_

"But, what if it did happen?" Aerith asked innocently.

_Then one of us is going to have to be killed off... _"Then you'll take the bed."

"And where will you sleep?"

"The floor." _Or the bathtub...I don't really care..._

"Why not the bed?"

"Because that wouldn't work out." Squall answered her, his left eyebrow twitching.

"That's weird." Aerith giggled. "I'm pretty sure it would. It's meant to be slept on; not the floor, silly."

For some reason Squall had an image of Bahamut suddenly swooping down from the clouds and catching Aerith between its jaws before flying off into the sunrise. Luckily, years of being a cold character allowed him to suppress the chuckle that threatened to escape him...until he realized that he actually had the power to make that happen. Afterward, the idea started to feel a little more than tempting. I wasn't until he felt his head collide with a hanging object that he was brought back to reality. He winced from the stab of pain in his forehead, lowering his head for a brief moment out of reflex, only to allow the swinging inn sign to swing behind his head as he raised it again and have it smack him from behind. Bringing his gloved hand to soothe the back of his head, Squall was beginning to see a grim pattern in his day. Perhaps leaving the garden was not such a good idea in the first place. Besides-

_Squall glanced over his shoulder at Aerith before turning away._

-one of the main reasons for his escape just happened to track him down, anyway. This vacation was over before it even began.

"You should pay more attention." Aerith advised him.

"I'll keep that in mind." Squall grumbled sarcastically before opening the door to the Inn. That was to say, of course, the very inn that he spotted Fuujin and her partners advertising when he walked in with Quistis and the others earlier. He had been playing into her hands the very moment he set foot in Winhill and he was barely conscious of it. The lovely stalker was a frightening woman, indeed. Walking into the entry hall of the two floor house, Squall and Aerith were greeted by Yuffie and Lulu in their maid disguises. A little makeup from the mute doll maker, and genius costume designing was all it took for them to keep the young commander from realizing who they really were. That, and Squall was just desperate to get Aerith off his back.

"Welcome!" Yuffie chirped excitedly, bowing with Lulu in perfect synchronization. "I'm going to assume that you're here for a-" Yuffie's eyes made contact with Aerith's. "-r-room?" Squall noticed a waver in the young maid's voice, but decided not to make any real note of it.

"Yeah." Squall answered her, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. _No, I'm secretly just here to river dance..._

"Then, please follow my associate," She gestured to Lulu. "Lola, and she'll get you registered for a room."

_Lulu beckoned them to follow her to the elaborately made, concierge desk._

She pulled out a journal for Squall to sign his name in, and offered him a pen before gesturing for him to leave his mark. The commander accepted the pen from the well endowed mage, and signed in, finshing the 'T' at the end of his last name with a swift stroke, like the swordsman he was. Lulu blinked as she brushed her hair slightly in place, and closed the book to stash it away. With that out of the way, she gestured for him to look to the stairway where he found the woman with the wide brimmed hat waiting for him. This time, however, she was sporting some stylish shades.

_"THIS...way." _She told him with a short pause in between her words.

"Right." Squall nodded, walking over to meet her, but instead of leading him up as was normally expected, she held out a hand to stop him from going any further.

"...What?" The commander raised an eyebrow curiously.

_"I will need to frisk you." _The mysterious host told him.

_Yuffie's mouth nearly dropped through the floor._

_Lulu simply blinked...in shock, mind you...even though you could hardly tell..._

"Why would you need to do that?" Squall took a step back when Fuujin reached out for him with a twitching hand. "Look, I'm not carrying anything dangerous." _Unless you count my gunblade... _He blinked. _...Not that you would be able to see it... _That last thought left the lion with a few questions that he would have to deal with later. Right now, he was going to have to find a way to avoid the obvious violation that was heading his way.

_"Safety reasons." _Fuujin explained, taking a step closer. _"You are an outsider, after all." _Spoken like a true resident of Winhill.

Squall paled. _Damn this town..._

_

* * *

_

**_[ Following that...ahem...experience... ]_**

**_

* * *

_**

_"This will be your room." _Fuujin informed the commander as she opened the door to the master bedroom. She, and the other two fixed it up nicely for him...assuming, of course, that he would be the only person coming since they turned away any other visitors that tried to book in. The original plan was to have him stay at their Inn for the weekend alone, so that they would have no interruptions when they made their strike. Fuujin leaned back a little to look over Squall's shoulder at Aerith. The Flower girl simply offered her a polite nod.

_It's a good thing that there is more than one bedroom in this house. "You two wouldn't be sharing the same room, would you?" _Had Fuujin possessed less self control, she wouldn't have been able to keep her left eye from twitching at the very thought of Squall sharing a bed with the pink clad young woman. Had she even less self control than that, _"Force Your Way" _would have kicked in, and Aerith would have been engaged in the boss battle of her life.

"Ye-"

"No." Squall answered over Aerith's voice before turning around to look at his student. "See? I told you it wouldn't happen."

"It never hurts to try." Aerith giggled.

_Sometimes I wish you weren't so honest._ The commander fought off a shiver that threatened to run through him from the flower girl's smile. He took note to sleep with one eye open tonight. Something about her eagerness to join him made him think twice about letting his guard down just because they were going to be seperated in different rooms. Of course, the lion always failed to realize that there was more than one threat to his health standing near him.

"So I guess we're set." Squall mused to himself before something finally became clear to him. He checked his inventory list to find that his luggage was missing. _For Hyne's sake. What the hell is going on today? _"Aerith..." He called the young woman's attention.

"Yes, instructor Leonhart?" She responded melodically.

"I'll be back." With that, he headed for the stairway to descend to the first floor.

"What's wrong?" Aerith's voice stopped the commander before his head could disappear from view. He raised his head slightly to see her in the process of following him, and replied, "Don't worry about it. Just get settled into your room."

"Alright."

"Good." Squall disappeared, leaving Fuujin and Aerith alone together.

_They both turned to stare at each other, green orbs meeting rose tinted shades..._

_"WHAT?"_ Fuujin asked, her usual manner of talk accidentally appearing in her dialogue box.

"Nice shades." Aerith complimented her with a grin.

_"..."_ Fuujin sweat-dropped.

_"SUSPECTS US." _Fuujin informed Yuffie and Lulu, entering the kitchen.

Yuffie almost dropped the glass of milk she was holding in her hand. "Instructor Leonhart?"

_Lulu blinked, lighting the candles at the dining table with a flaming index finger._

Fuujin shook her head to correct her,_"GAINSBOROUGH." _Fuujin wasn't exactly sure why, but at the very mention of the flower girl's name, two interesting things happened. First, Lulu, who rarely showed any type of emotion, widened her eyes in horror and mouthed the words, _"Holy Crap". _Second, Yuffie, the brave kunoichi, suddenly looked like a terrified little girl as she let out a high pitched whimper of fear, choking on her milk. All in all, something about Aerith Gainsborough must have been seriously wrong.

_She seems fairly harmless to me. _The stalker thought with a shrug of her shoulders. _"MUST ELIMINATE."_

"Aerith?" Yuffie said their classmate's name as though saying it would incur the wrath of evil. "What do you mean, eliminate her?"

Fuujin stared at her as though her brain fell out. _"KNOCK OUT?"_ She waved her hand through to air in a circulating motion to get the ideas rolling. _"PUT TO SLEEP?" _Something a little more extreme came to mind. _"PETRIFY?"_

_Yuffie and Lulu cast her a worried look._

Fuujin figured the last suggestion went a little far. _"PUT TO SLEEP?"_

"Um, sure." Yuffie nodded her head. "But, how are we supposed to do that?" The ninja looked to her right when Lulu tapped her on the shoulder. How she managed to get beside her from the other side of the room in such short time while she turned her head to regard Fuujin was a mystery. "Yeah?"

Lulu took the cup out of Yuffie's hand and gestured to its circular rim before pretending to lift it to her lips and drink it. Yuffie watched with a child-like expression as the mute mage let her head drop to the side with her eyes closed. With her demonstration done, Lulu handed Yuffie back her cup, and snapped her fingers.

_What is she trying to tell m- _Yuffie's eyes lit up with enthusiasm as she slammed a fist onto an open hand. "You mean, drug her, right?"

_Lulu nods._

"That works for me!" The thief exclaimed happily. _As long as I don't have to do it personally..._

_"VOICE DOWN." _Fuujin whispered to her loud partner, pulling an imaginary zipper along her lips.

"So when will we do it?"

_"DINNER."_

"Oooh...I like." Yuffie cooed, rubbing her hands together like a scheming fox. That was until she realized that something was a bit off about the plan. "So...how do we do it?"

_"?" _A giant question mark popped over Fuujin's head. _I suppose casting sleep on a drink wouldn't work. I guess we'll just have to hope that a monster drops some sleeping weed outside._ Believing that this was the reasonable means of getting what they needed, Fuujin turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

Fuujin stopped at the door, placing one hand against the frame and looking over her shoulder in an epic pose, fit for the cover artwork of the next Final Fantasy title before saying, _"HUNTING."_

_*Cue the building Fithos theme...oh, you wanna know why? _

_*Just because..._

_

* * *

_

**_[ Returning to Ellone's House... ]_**

**_

* * *

_**

_Zell slips a brick out, and sets it down on the table..._

_...Nida slips a brick out and sets it down on the table..._

_...Quistis slips a brick out and sets it down on the table..._

_...Xu slips a brick out and sets it down on the table..._

_...Ellone slips a brick out and sets it down on the table..._

_...Zell shifts his eyes from left to right..._

_...Everyone stares at him..._

_Zell reaches for another brick, and slips it out ever so slowl-_

"I'm back." Squall announced, walking in through the door of the house.

**_"JINGA!" _**Everyone cried out after Squall closed the door behind him.

"THAT DOESN'T COUNT!" Zell cried out at the injustice that has been done to him. "Squall-c'mon guys! It's because Squall slammed the door so damn hard!" The martial artist cried out, shaking a block at the commander as he walked past the table to head up the stairway, but before he could get past Xu, the mysterious instructor reached out and placed a vice grip around his wrist, all while never looking his way. He tugged to have her let go, but her grip was much firmer than he expected. The only way he'd get any farther would be to drag her the entire way with him...which would have been bad.

"Don't blame others, Zell." Ellone told him, speaking to him as though he was a child.

"But-"

Ellone smiled. "Would you like an instant replay?"

Zell scowled at her. "I don't need some stupid-"

"Xu?" Ellone turned to the instructor beside her. "Could you please give me Squall's hand?"

"Sure." Xu nodded, yanking the lion over to Ellone's side with frightening ease.

_What the hell? _Squall wanted to growl, but he was distracted when a thought bubble popped over his head, featuring the moment he entered the house. Zell slipped out the brick from the stack, and-

**_"JINGA!"_**

"THAT DOESN'T COUNT-"

"HEY!" Zell cried out, watching himself protest in the thought bubble.

_Ellone grinned,_

**_"JINGA!"_**

A smoke stack blew out from the top of his head. "I SAID-"

**_"JINGA!"_**

_Zell buried his face in his arms._

"He...isn't crying, is h-"

"So you decided to come back, eh?" Quistis asked Squall with a subtle grin, interrupting Nida before he could finish speaking. "See, I knew he wouldn't be able to stay away too long."

"Now we can get onto the real entertainment!" Ellone chirped.

"Actually..." Squall cut both women off awkwardly. He almost winced when their eyes sharpened upon him like blades. He glanced at Xu to check if she had a similar expression, only to find her usual cheerful expression, and yet, he couldn't help but feel a slight-

_The word "MISS" briefly popped over his head..._

_...it happened again..._

_...and again..._

"Are you guys trying to hit me?" Squall asked, masking his surprise.

"Damn." Quistis stopped chucking popcorn at the young commander. "His evasion is pretty high." The blonde instructor looked to Ellone to find the time mage sleeping in her seat. She must have attempted to cast a sleeping spell on Squall, and it backfired on her. _Curse you, Carbuncle._

"What I was trying to say was, I found an Inn down the road that took me in." Squall informed them.

_"Yes!" _Nida whooped under his breath.

"Cancel it." Xu told him without a moment's hesitation.

"Yeah." Quistis followed her friend's example. "You're not going anywhere."

"Too late to do that now." Squall informed them before proceeding to the stair again; however, this time, when he felt Xu's hand holding him back, he rolled his eyes and turned around to heft her over his shoulder like a child. He managed to do it so effortlessly that Xu could only allow herself to be taken upstairs with him, shrugging her shoulders when Quistis shot her a confused look. When they both disappeared up the steps, the blonde instructor tapped her fingers on the surface of the table irritably.

_Dammit Xu...you did that on purpose. _Quistis inwardly growled at her friend's luck.

_"Are you going to let go?" _They heard Squall asked Xu from upstairs faintly.

_"No."_ They heard her reply.

_"Are you going to let go?"_ They heard him ask again, this time it came from right over them.

_"No."_ Xu replied. This continued for a while until they heard a thump, and a crack, and a scrape. It then resumed, getting louder.

_Squall descended the stairs with his suitcase in one hand, and Xu still hanging over his shoulder._

"Last chance." Squall told her, walking past the table with Quistis, Nida, and Zell following them with their eyeballs. "Are you going to let go?"

"No." Xu answered him again, defiantly.

_Squall reached for the door handle..._

"What are you doing?" Quistis blurted out when the commander opened the door to leave. "Are you just going to take her with you?"

Squall looked over the shoulder that Xu wasn't dangling from and replied, "I suppose so."

"Bye." Xu waved at them before Squall left, closing the door behind him.

_They all blinked..._

_

* * *

_

**_Meanwhile..._**

**_-VICTORY FANFARE PLAYS-_**

**_You Got... Take All? _**←

**_2x Sleeping Weeds _**

**_Potion _**

**_5x Phoenix Downs_**

_Fuujin gripped the sleeping weed in her hand with a rare smile._

_"GOOD NIGHT."_

* * *

_Squall finally came to us just as I planned; however, the presence of Ms. Gainsborough will cause an interference that I would fare much better without. How was she able to follow us? More importantly, why does she seem so attached to the commander? Since the moment I met her in the hallway a week ago, she felt rather odd. I've also taken notice of how the others in the class react to her presence. They appear to hang on her very word, and movement, almost as if she is someone to take caution of. So far, from my observations of the candidates, I find her to be quite normal from all the rest. She has no peculiar tendencies or habits, although she appears to be very fond of flowers. She has her own personal garden outside near the front gate, and though it is a bit unecessary to comment on it, she tends to them very well. _

_I will keep an eye on this one..._

**_-Stalker's Log, September 24th-_**

_

* * *

_**_To Be Continued...

* * *

_**

_Well, it looks like I need to do a bit of emphasis on the romance elements._

_Expect some...Quall, and...er...Xuall in the future..._

_...Of course, Squfuu, too...or whatever its called..._


	11. Betrayal?

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

**_Chapter Ten: Yuffie Kisaragi, with the Candle Stick, in the Attic..._**_**  
**_

_By Traingham_

* * *

Fate; the intangible force which drives us to the inescapable; the guiding hand that eventually smashes us to bits, or simply crushes us quickly and painlessly. Many attempt to wave it off as something purely fictional, while others embrace it and dare not defy it. Then there are those who try to claim it and have it bend to their will, so that they can grasp the very power of the gods themselves, but then we have the very few who do more than that. We have those who acknowledge it; however, are driven to fight against it. Those few can be the heroes, or they can be the villains, and despite what some may think, they are deserving of their place in the world. So, we look upon the _'Fated Children'. _Brought together by fate, and forced to band together against the sorceress that fought with all her might to defy it, and yes, as completely whacked out as the whole orphanage plot twist was, is not fate just as bizarre? Of course, after the credits roll, and the romantic kiss is shared, fate is still present within the world, but that is where the tables suddenly begin to turn, for you see, fate does play favorites. After the heroes return to their normal roles as normal people, fate pulls the nicely woven rug from underneath them and brings them back to reality. Squall Leonhart's reality was now upon him. There were no more conveniently placed Ragnaroks to save him from the cold clutches of space, or scene breaks to cover up the fact that he should have fallen to his death during a failed prison break. The most he could squeeze out of fate now was a spin off called Dissidia, and Hyne have mercy on Square's souls if they killed his last chance at making the spot light again...ahem...getting back to the flow...

"You know..." Squall told Xu as the inn gradually came into view over the horizon. "...It isn't too late to let go."

"Ah, but my final chance left me when we departed from the house, did it not?" Xu mocked him with a chuckle.

"I'm willing to take that back."

"Then my answer still remains..." Xu replied, using a finger to trace circles on his back that were sending odd sensations up the lion's neck. "No."

"I figured as much." Squall grumbled, ignoring the way some nosy individuals stared at him as he carried his fellow instructor toward the inn. Sometimes he wondered if they just did that because they wanted him to look back at them, and acknowledge the fact that he stood out. Either way, they weren't going to get the satisfaction they wanted. So, walking into the inn, when Yuffie rushed to greet him, almost having a coronary at the sight of another possible threat to their plans, the young commander simply walked past her as though there was nothing remotely unusual about walking in with another person slung over his shoulder. While having another instructor along for the ride should have been just a little awkward considering the odd circumstances that had been plaguing him as of late, he figured that Xu's presence would be able to act as a buffer for the inevitably disturbing night to come. That usually tended to fit as her role anyway...

"Aha." Xu finally released her grip on the commander, and slipped through his arm like a serpent to set her feet on the floor. She stroked her chin inquisitively, doing a cursory of the inn. _Yes, just as I thought. As expected; having Instructor Leonhart come along was just what I needed to spicen up my weekend. _She turned back to Squall with a subtle cat-like smirk that practically had the commander believing that a _'Meow' _escaped her lips. "I had a feeling that you would eventually come here." She told him.

He took a moment to blink. "How's that?"

"It caught your attention when we were passing by to reach Ellone's house." The enigmatic instructor explained. "It was bound to happen."

_"I'm not that predictable." _Squall raised an eyebrow at hearing Xu join in with him at the same time. _Her and Quistis...why do they keep on doing this to me? _"Look, **_whatever..." _**Squall blinked. She did it again.

"See?" Xu told him with a short shrug. "Now, why don't you show me into our room?"

"_Our _room?" Squall questioned her words, crossing his arms. "Whatever gave you the idea the we were sharing a room?"

Xu clicked her tongue, wagging a finger at him disapprovingly. "Why, instructor Leonhart, you disappoint me."

"Eh?" The lion felt slightly lost. Was he supposed to feel some shame right now? "What?"

"Take responsibility." Xu insisted.

Squall's left eye twitched. "Me, take responsibility?" He placed a hand on his chest.

"Well, of course." Xu replied with such confidence that it caught him of guard. She approached him, stopping when they were standing toe to toe, and stared into his eyes intensely, forcing him to slightly lean away from her. This woman sure had talent for unnerving others. Being able to have the commander back down with a mere look was proof enough. Her next words ran a blade right through his ego. "You are a man, aren't you?"

_...Showdown..._ A blaze suddenly ignited within the lean man as he leaned forward to meet her intense gaze with one of his own patent ones, so much in fact that they could have shared a kiss, and it would still have been labeled as a confrontation. This was indeed, badass. "I hope you have pajamas in your inventory." He growled at her, the hint of a challenge being shot at her. "Because-"

"I sleep in the nude." Xu cut him off with a straight face.

**K-O!**

"...That would be a lie, right?" Squall inquired after a long silence.

"And why would I have the need to lie to you?"

_First my favorite shorts get stolen, then Aerith steals my favorite shirt, and now I have to lend Xu some pajamas for the night. Why am I losing so much clothing this week? _Squall massaged the back of his neck with a slight frown. "I'll take care of it." With that, he ascended the stairs to go find some peace within his room, assuming that Aerith wasn't waiting for him.

"Now, you're just trying to flatter me." Xu teased the commander as he disappeared up the stairway. _And now, Mr. Leonhart, I take it that you will join me in this dance? _A chuckle escaped her as she looked to the side in a suggestive fashion. _...Not that I'm giving you much of a choice to begin with..._

"Hm?" Xu turned her head to find Yuffie staring at her from the corner of the room.

_The ninja flinched..._

"I do hope you'll take care of us." Xu told her with a slight bow.

Yuffie did her best to force a hospitable smile. "Um, sure..."

* * *

Lulu stirred the soup in the pot before her, with elegant and gentle motions of her wrist before lifting the ladle from the bubbling cream to lift it to her lips and take a slow sip. Warmth traveled down her throat and settled pleasantly within her stomach until-

_"LOLA!"_ The sudden slamming of the kitchen door against the wall, accompanied by Yuffie's unexpected cry caused the black mage to spurt out what was in her mouth, and cough uncontrollably. The ninja, seeing that she startled her partner, rushed over to her and started slapping her against the back, hard. "I'm sooooo sorry! I didn't mean to-awoh!" She yelped when Lulu pushed her away, and wrenched a paper towel from a roll to wipe her mouth. After recomposing herself, Lulu's dialogue box was filled with nothing more than exclamation marks down the board...not that she was capable of doing much else.

"I said, I was sorry." Yuffie said sheepishly, with a small grin before widening her eyes again when she remembered her reason for busting into the kitchen with such a scene in the first place, however, a hand over her mouth from the well endowed doll maker was enough to keep her from jumping the gun again. Lulu narrowed her eyes at the ninja in a silent warning, gesturing for her to keep her voice down unless she wanted trouble.

"Mr. Leonhart brought another visitor with him!" Yuffie informed her in a near whisper.

Lulu placed a hand on her shapely hip, rolling her eyes. She then went on to inquire something.

"No. It isn't anybody else from class." Yuffie replied with enough understanding to rival Kiros's, Ward reading skills.

Lulu crossed her arms and sighed, mouthing, _"Then who?"_

"Instructor Xu." Yuffie answered. At her reply, Lulu furrowed her brows as if trying to understand who she was talking about until she simply looked back at Yuffie and shrugged her shoulders. It appeared that Xu wasn't exactly a hot topic in the White SeeD class. The only students that really knew her were those whom hounded the young commander most of the time. Considering that this was the black mage's first active move on Squall Leonhart, that knowledge was still lost to her. Xu was quite the shady character anyway. It came with her reputation.

"You don't know who I'm talking about?"

_Lulu shook her head._

"Well, that's just g-"

_"THE HELL?" _Yuffie and Lulu nearly jumped out of their skins when the dialogue box assaulted them from behind. Fuujin entered the kitchen with sweat slipping down her face, and she didn't look very pleased. The ninja and the mage figured that she had come face to face with the lovely instructor. All was not going well in the stalker's supposed, personal heaven. This was supposed to be an opportunity to bond with the lion...in disguise...but bonding, nonetheless!

"Mr. Leonhart just walked in with her about ten minutes ago." Yuffie answered the inevitable question that would come her way. "He looked pretty aggravated, so I guess she must have forced him to bring her...although she was sort of slung over his shoulder."

_"COMPLICATIONS."_ Fuujin said grimly, taking a seat on a stool beside the kitchen counter. She placed the two sleeping weeds on the counter after getting it out of her inventory and sighed, resting her cheek in one hand. _"NEED AN ALTERNATIVE."_

"What do you mean?" Yuffie asked, incredulously as she gestured to the two odd looking weeds. "All we have to do is put her to sleep with one of these babies." The kunoichi was left in disappointment when the stalker shook her head. Success never came easily.

_"CLEVER WOMAN." _Fuujin explained.

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

_"PLEASE HER." _The moment those words left Fuujin's lips, Yuffie looked a little scared. You see, her mind traveled to a far distant country that held some rather intriguing prospects. They, however, did not appeal to her very much.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "N-No! I'm too you-"

_Lulu slapped her shoulder._

"Wha?" Yuffie turned to her with a childish expression of fear.

_"MIND IN GUTTER."_ Fuujin sighed before clearing her voice. _"We'll have to provide her with service that will keep her mouth shut about this."_

_Lulu and Yuffie blinked..._

_"WHAT?"_ Fuujin reverted back to her normal self.

_They sighed in relief._

"But what type of service haven't we got planned?" Yuffie questioned, gesturing her maid costume. The skirt was a little high now that she mentioned it. "We've got dinner prepared. The rooms are fixed. The mini jacuzzi, and the bath tub is loaded with nice scents and candles." She paused as the three of them shared a quick exchange of glances. "Um...I just bought candles in case of a black out."

_"ME TOO." _Fuujin lied.

_Lulu shrugged her shoulders innocently._

Yuffie massaged the back of her neck with a nervous giggle. "Can't wait to try out that jacuzzi though."

_Fuujin and Lulu glared at her._

"...Alone, that is." Yuffie added with a laugh.

_"RIGHT." _Fuujin agreed; lies, and more lies.

_Lulu shrugged innocently._

_"DRINKS, BACK SCRUB, ANY OTHER ASSISTANCE." _Fuujin explained. _"SERVICE."_

"B-Back scrubs?" Yuffie's face burned red. "W-what the hell?"

_"YES."_

"For everyone?"

_"NOT HIM."_ Fuujin answered a little too quickly. _"XU AND GAINSBOROUGH."_

_Yuffie and Lulu paled at the last name mentioned._

_"KISARAGI."_ Fuujin pointed a finger at the ninja, getting a whimper out of her. _"XU." _Hearing Fuujin's words, Yuffie's face burst with enough joy to put, Zack Fair's, cheerful disposition to shame. She dropped to her knees and arched her back, raising her arms to the ceiling. Now, Lulu on the other hand...

_Th black mage slumped over like a corpse._

...it was a good thing that no one could hear her scream.

_**{ -****Would You Like to Save Your Progress?**__** -**__** }**_

"Why did you want to come with me anyway?" Squall asked Xu, looking over his shoulder at his fellow instructor. They were sitting back to back on the floor since the commander refused to join the enigmatic woman on the bed. He told her that it would give them bad luck.

"I'm sure it should be obvious, Mr. Leonhart." Xu told him in her usual cheerful tone of voice. She turned her head slightly so that their ears brushed against each other. She could tell by his slight shiver that he was caught off guard by it. "But you've always been to dense to understand."

"To understand...what?" Squall asked hesitantly. _You're not very easy to understand to begin with. I think that's being a little unfair..._

"My reason for keeping so close to you."

"...And why is that?" _Do you like being vague all the time, or does it just come naturally?_

"Why, you're the center of all the excitement. Who could resist being near you?" Xu replied, allowing him to exhale, though he wasn't too sure why he was holding his breath for her answer in the first place. "Then, there's the fact that I sort of miss this..." Her voice became distant, making Squall slightly turn his head.

"You miss, what?"

The lovely instructor laughed, moving a strand of hair away from her eye. "I didn't expect you to recall much. After all, so much came to pass after I became a SeeD."

"We didn't see much of each other, then." Squall recalled.

"No, we didn't." Xu grinned, pressing her back against his a little more. "I was always away from the garden with Quistis on missions. Then the both of us became instructors, so I figured we would see more of each other again, but..." Xu bowed her head slightly, out of Squall's view. "She managed to snag you for herself."

_What was that supposed to mean? _"I guess that's a way to put it..."

"Then you became a SeeD-."

"-And everything went to hell." Squall finished for her.

"I guess that's a way to put it..." Xu responded, imitating his voice.

_Squall let out a soft chuckle._

"And what is this, I've discovered?" Xu teased. "A sense of humor? They're going to have to put this in the history books."

"Whatever." Squall was surprised to find that she didn't join him this time, and for some unexplainable reason, it felt a little less meaningful that way. _Damn. There must be something wrong with me to feel that way. _"...Whatever."_ Ok, that felt a little better._

"Why did you repeat yourself?"

"No reason." Squall replied before the door to the room opened to reveal Fuujin, dressed in her hostess outfit, her rose tinted shades on despite the fact that it was a little dim in the hallway. She stared at them without so much as a word for about three straight minutes before she finally opened her mouth to speak.

_"Dinner is ready..."_ Fuujin announced with a growl, though she kept it so low that they couldn't really notice it. They also didn't notice how, from the view of their room window, a small tornado whipped up from out of nowhere, and carried a few flower carts away with it into the distance.

* * *

Yuffie admired the dining room table from the kitchen doorway with a thoughtful nod. Being that Lulu was the person assigned to preparing the table, one could have taken it to an art and made millions off of its purchase. An elegantly designed, black table cloth was draped over it, prepared with settings for four people to dine; Fuujin being that third individual since she was the hostess, so she had to join them for dinner. Of course, this made Yuffie and Lulu think twice about their positions in the scheme. Silver forks, knives, and spoons were provided for everyone, and black, gold lined handkerchiefs neatly folded beneath them. The plates were already set on the table for the guests to serve themselves. The wine glasses, on the other hand, would wait for later. The dishes that were cooked for the commander and his two intrusive companions, were mainly a variety of sea foods; that being due to the fact that Fuujin and Yuffie were more familiar with such selections. There was _'Black pepper Admantoise', 'Grilled Fastitocalon, 'Kraken stew', and 'Spiced Blugu rice'. _It did make one wonder just how much Fuujin originally intended for the commander to eat...

"Smells delicious." Yuffie whipped her head to the entryway of the living room, and the color completely drained from her face at the sight of Aerith entering the room to take her seat. Oddly enough, she wasn't dressed her her usual pink oufit. Instead, she wore something that Yuffie was a little familiar with. In fact, if the ninja recalled correctly, she was wearing the shirt that she was planning on snagging the next time she paid a visit to the lion's room. Why, the nerve of that girl! Not that she was going to go so far as to express her disapproval for losing the prize. This was Aerith, after all...

_Did Mr. Leonhart...give it to her? _Yuffie felt a wave of discomfort pass through her, watching the enormous shirt flutter as the flower girl made her way to the seat toward the upper left hand side of the table. _Why would he do something like that? _She waved off her concern when the next two guests entered the room followed by Fuujin. By the looks of things, something must have happened up stairs that the stalker wasn't very comfortable with. Yuffie could tell that Fuujin was holding herself back from doing something she might regret later. She just wished she could get a look of what was behind those rose tinted shades to find out just who the stalker had her attention on.

"This is certainly welcome." Xu remarked at the selection of dishes on the table, taking her seat across from Aerith. The instructor observed the young woman across from her as Squall took the seat beside her, and offered a polite smile that was mirrored by Aerith. "Instructor Leonhart..." She addressed her fellow instructor, never looking away from Aerith as she awaited a response.

"Yeah?" Squall replied, seemingly unconcerned with Xu's new found knowledge of his student's presence.

"Ms. Gainsborough if I recall correctly, right?"

"Right." Squall answered her, picking up his fork to examine the edges. He set it down before lifting up his knife to do the same. "She informed Cid that she would be staying with me for the rest of the weekend." He added, hoping that it would steer her away from asking any more questions on the subject.

"I see." Xu nodded smartly, addressing her next words to the flower girl. "And how did you come to know just where you instructor had gone off to?"

"Word about Mr. Leonhart travels fast within the garden." Aerith replied without a hint of falseness in her answer. "Hearing about his arrangement to set off with Instructor Trepe for Winhill was all too hard to avoid, with her fanatics roaming every floor gossiping about it."

_Executed rather well. _Xu's professional smile twisted into a slight smirk, getting one from Aerith in response. From Squall's point of view it almost seemed as though both women were having an internal sparring session with each other. Their expressions changed to match the other, strike for strike. The sheer intensity that gleamed in their eyes was enough to make the bravest of men turn away in fear. Surely the clashing between these two awesome forces would undoubtedly result in something catastrophic!

_**+...+**_

_**[ Somewhere... ]**_

_What happened? _Zidane felt his cheek resting against something cold and hard. He pushed his palms against the jagged surface with a groan, wincing as the uplifting edges of rock bit into his skin, and slowly got ot his feet to find Princess Garnet and the others lying around him unconscious. Now, there was something seriously wrong with this scene. Weren't they supposed to be dead?

"Geez...it should already be the end of the road for us." The genome muttered with exhaustion. "Kuja was the final boss, wasn't he?"

**_"NO." _**A deep voice rumbled from above him.

"What the..." Zidane looked up to find a blinding light shining from an enormous structure that resembled a floating Colosseum.

**_"I AM NECRON."_**

"...When the hell did you become part of this story?"

_**+...+**_

_Well, I hope it doesn't happen in my lifetime..._ Squall shook off the chill that passed through him.

"Drifting off again, commander?" Xu's voice pulled him away from his thoughts.

"What?" Squall blinked. _What happened? Is it over? _The lion turned his head to regard Aerith to find a bead of sweat on her forehead. _Honestly...what the hell did I just miss?_

_"Don't be shy." _Fuujin got everyone's attention, gesturing to the food. She glanced at Yuffie quickly to give her the signal to set their plan into motion, and the kunoichi nodded, stepping forward from her post against the wall to assume her place beside the stalker, with a pleasant smile on her face. One that screamed, _'Use me!', _in a good way, of course...if there was such a way.

"Might I be able to serve you all something to drink?" She inquired politely. "We have a selection of imported white and red wine." _From Dollet, since that was the closest place to find em'. _"If that doesn't sound very appealing," Yuffie inserted her practiced giggle. "We have sodas and juices. Water is naturally on for selection as well."

"Water for me, then." Aerith ordered gently.

Yuffie cringed, doing her best to smile. _That won't work! If she see's some of the pulp from the weed in her water, she'll say something! _The kunoichi feigned a bit of realization, and leaned over to the flower girl with an apologetic grin, doing her best not to explode from the closeness. "Oh, I just forgot that we're restocking on water."

"I don't mind, tap." Aerith told her with a wave of her hand.

"Oh, but, um..." _Think Yuffers! Think! _"Some gardeners recently found a Malboro bathing in the river. I don't think it would be safe to drink from the tap just yet." _...I sure hope that worked..._

_Then why offer the water in the first place? _Squall rolled his eyes.

"Then..." Aerith brought a balled hand to her mouth and moaned in deep thought. "I'll have some orange juice, then."

_SCORE! _Yuffie had an image of herself in a black tuxedo, tap dancing with joy in the back of her mind. When she was done with her little dance, Squall walked in wearing a black tuxedo and a bow tie, with a top hat to match. He took short pauses between each step, swinging his black cane in a stylish fashion_ (Doing all this with his usual deadpan expression, mind you)_ before tipping his top hat to her, and doing a little tap dance himself. The victory fanfare chimed in when they were done with their victory performance, and they took a bow...don't ask... "As you wish." The ninja confirmed with Aerith, pulling herself out of her little fantasy. She did her best to melt away the dreamy look that found its place on her face, walking around Fuujin's seat to meet with Xu and Squall before inquiring for their orders as well.

"White wine for me." Xu ordered.

"I'll second that." Squall added.

_"I see nothing wrong with that, then."_ Fuujin ordered, not one to be picky.

"I will return." Yuffie informed them with a short bow. She went off on her way, leaving the dining room a little too eagerly. She quickened her pace when she was out of view, pushing through the kitchen door to find Lulu at the kitchen counter, dicing both of the sleeping weeds with such blinding proficiency that Yuffie had second thoughts about her truly being human.

_Or maybe it's just a Haste spell... _Yuffie nodded to her own logical reasoning.

"Are ya' almost done with that?" Yuffie asked her partner in crime, reverting back to her usual manner of talk.

_Lulu stopped her dicing, turning to offer Yuffie a thumbs up. _The mute mage managed to turn the weed into a blue mound of powder.

"Nice." Yuffie winked at Lulu as she went to the refrigerator to retrieve the desired drinks. She pulled out a bottle of white wine, setting it down on the counter as Lulu set out the wine glasses for her, and made another trip to bring back the orange juice.

_They both exchanged a glance..._

"Okies...we wanna drop just enough to get em' drowsy for the night. Too much, and they'll drop their head into their food."

_Lulu nods, rolling her eyes. **-Translation: **"Duh."_

"Alrighty." Yuffie brought both of her hands to her chest before shaking them back and forth with excitement. "Lets drug e-"

_"HEY." _At the sound of Fuujin's voice, Yuffie and Lulu ran into each other like two blind fools before shaking their heads and turning to their leader.

"W-What?" Yuffie stammered.

Fuujin regarded her in silence for a moment before going on, _"BE WISE..." _With those cryptic words, the stalker pulled her head back and allowed the kitchen door to swing shut.

_...Er...whatever. _Yuffie sighed with relief, doing her best to keep her heart from successfully beating free from her flat chest. _**"Huh?" **_

...from her..._well proportioned_ chest.

_**"Thank you."**_ The kunoichi thanked sweetly before turning back to the confused mage beside her. "Do you think she suspects us already?"

_Lulu shook her head._

"Then lets get back to business." Yuffie told her partner with a nod.

_Lulu nods back..._

Yuffie filled the glasses with their respective drinks and stepped out of the way for Lulu to deposit the proper doses of the sleeping powder into Aerith's and Fuujin's glasses. When the mage was done stirring them, both young women lowered their heads to get a good look at the drinks. A small blue cloud swirled in the middle of the drinks before vanishing completely, a small skull floating out of both drinks with a sinister laugh that was too deep to really understand. Had both girls really had a shred of goodness in their heart, they might have been just a little concerned about that...

...but they weren't...

"That just means its going to work." Yuffie reasoned, crossing her arms with a confident nod of her head.

_Lulu nods in agreement._

"Ha, ha!" Yuffie pumped her fist in the air as the words **_'LEVEL UP!' _**bounced up and down over her head. Lulu on the other hand, looked up to find nothing but thin air. "Oh..." The ninja noticed the mage's disappointment and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll get yours later." With that, she placed the four glasses on a circular tray and headed out of the kitchen. Lulu, finding herself alone again, scraped some of the left over powder into a small vial. A small smile crossed her lips as a single thought went through her mind.

_Yes. I will get mine, and soon...

* * *

_

**_To Be Continued..._**

_

* * *

_

_I cannot help but feel that I am going to be betrayed. Well, if they want to have a little fun at my expense, then they will be disappointed..._

_...Actually, I feel slightly drowsy..._

_...Hyne, dammit!_

_**-Stalker's Log, September 24-**

* * *

_

* * *

_The camera gets a close up of Shiva and Siren sitting side by side at a reporters table with professionally matched smiles and folded hands._

_"Welcome to the post chapter section." _Shiva greets. _"I am Shiva, and I'll be your host for the night."_

_Siren nudges her partner violently, "And of course, I am Siren. Guardian of-"_

_"So, quite a story we have so far." _Shiva interrupts her partner. _"It would seem that master Leonhart has found himself in the middle of a personal war. Surprising how this tiny Winhill segment suddenly went so far..."_

_"Well, the writer could always try to go further than four thousand words in every chapter...if he prefers, of course."_

_"Ah...but that would just turn out like that other story he's been neglecting, right?" _Shiva thinks aloud.

_"...Perhaps we should get away from that."_

_"Wise words, hawk girl."  
_

_"Ahem...yes." _Siren shoots Shiva a dark look. _"The cast of various Squaresoft-"_

_"Enix." _The ice goddess corrects her.

_"I would appreciate it if you refrained from that."_

_"Do as you will, then."_

_"As I was saying. The cast of various titles in the series appear to have marked Squall as a target for their affections." _The scantily clad guardian feigns a bit of fear. _"Oh no...whatever will our commander do?"_

_"My commander." _Shiva corrects Siren, pushing her chair away slightly with one foot. _"Keep to your blonde instructor, why don't you?"_

_"Oh, she will have her chance, and when she does, we'll lay claim on your dear commander." _Siren laughs haughtily. _"Just you wait!"_

_"With her screen time, I highly doubt it."_

_"Keep it up my dear, Popsicle. Continue to tempt fate, and you will be sorry."_

_"...Popsicle?" _Shiva conjures a Blizzaga spell. _"I will show you a popsicle!"_

Siren reaches down to grab a hold of her harp with intentions of bludgeoning her fellow guardian with it. _"I'll knock you out cold, bi-"_

**_..._**

_**...**  
_

_"DONK-DONK-DONK?" _Tonberry exclaims to Ifrit, looking to both goddesses as they wage their own little personal war in the recording studio.

_Ifrit stops stirring his chile and looks to the hooded green...thing..._

_"I honestly don't know what you're talking about." _The fire guardian replies in his usual growl.

_"DONK-DONK-DONK?"_

_"I don't think you understand." _Ifrit growls in annoyance. _"I don't know what the hell you're saying in general!"_

_Cactuar walks into the floating kitchen. "Hey!"_ His hyperactive voice screeches out, almost causing Ifrit to tip his pot of chile to the side. _"You gonna break em' up?"_

_"They'll stop eventually."_

_Cactuar escapes..._

_Ifrit blinks before going back to stirring his chili. "I don't get why he needs to escape every time he goes somewhere..."  
_

_"DONK-DONK-DONK?" _Tonberry exclaimed to Ifrit again, waving his knife in the direction of both women.

_"I SAID, GIVE IT UP ALREADY!"

* * *

_

_

* * *

**[ END TRANSMISSION ]  
**_

* * *

_...Have a random encounter with a tonberry...you'll know what I mean...  
_


	12. Resistance

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

**_FFVIII: The Stalker's Log _**

**_Chapter Eleven:_**_** Fight Night  
**_

_By Traingham_

* * *

_Let it be known that whatever happens in this story is completely fictional. If this, by some remote chance, happened to you during your experience in playing Final Fantasy VIII or in real life for that matter, it is purely coincidental...and I wouldn't believe you. Get off the pipe, man.  
_

* * *

**_[ On the last episode of FFVIII_**_** ]**  
_

_Quistis walks into the emergency room to find Squall standing over an operating table with his fellow doctors. Doctor Almasy, and Doctor Loire observe the young woman on the operating table with grim expressions.  
_

_The patient; Selphie Tilmitt._

"What are we looking at here, doctor?" _The blonde nurse asks, studying the bead of sweat on Squall's forehead._

"It doesn't look good. At four o' clock, this morning, she was stung by a Blood Soul near the shore of Dollet." _Leonhart replies._ "If we don't sever the affected portion of her liver in time-"

_Camera closes up on his face._

_"She'll die."_

_**+...+**  
_

_Detective Almasy lets off a shot at the running suspect-_

_-it misses._

"Damn him!"_ Seifer looks to his partner, Squall Leonhart. _"I knew he was in on it!"

"Not to worry, then." _Detective Leonhart says in his usual gruff voice. _"We know where Mr. Kinease is heading."

_Seifer raises an eyebrow. _"What are you talking about?"

_Squall offers a subtle smirk. _"He's going to meet with her."

"Her?" _Seifer rips the cigarette out of his mouth and drops it to the ground with a growl. _"Shit! Of course!"

"Let's ride!"

_**+...+**_

_Rinoa Heartily and her friends walk down the hall to her apartment after a night of dancing. They all laugh at a joke that Quistis Trepe tells as they reach the apartment door, and Rinoa takes out her keys to let them all in. She opens the door to find-_

"Oh my god!" Rinoa screams in shock at the sight before her.

_-Her roommate, Squall Leonhart, half naked on their couch with another woman._

"How could you?" _Rinoa cries out at her boyfriend-to-be._

"Rin?" _Squall looks between his roommate and the woman under him, resembling her in every way. _"What the hell? But...if you're there-" _His eyes widen with shock as he directs his gaze to the woman engaged with him. _"Who am I with?"

_The woman laughs, pulling off her wig, causing Rinoa to gasp in horror._

"My twin sister-"

_Dramatic music rises with a crescendo._

_"Ultimecia!"_

_**+...+**_

_Yuffie approaches the dining table with a platter of drinks in one hand, a professional smile on her face. _

_Her first target, Aerith Gainsborough._

"Here you are." _The kunoichi says sweetly as she sets down the girl's drink for her._

_Aerith smiles at her, sending shivers down her neck. _"Thank you."

"You're welcome." _Yuffie offers her a nod before proceeding to give Fuujin her drink. She flashes the stalker a curious smile before moving on to serve instructor Leonhart and Xu._

"Everything is set now." _Yuffie laughs to herself, taking her leave of the room._

_Now, to see how it all unfolds...

* * *

_

**_... {THE} ..._**

_**~ Stalker's ] [Final Fantasy VIII] [ Log ~

* * *

**_

_"So, what is it that you do, Mr. Leonhart?" _Fuujin asked the young commander, setting down her drink after taking a sip of it. All the while, her eyes swiveled over to Aerith to see if the young woman had taken a sip from her own drink. So far, she was neglecting it...now why would she do that? More importantly, what was up with the smile that Yuffie gave her after she served her, her drink? There was just something about it that felt a little too suspicious, and it wasn't just because the operation that they were carrying out felt suspicious either.

..._Wait a second..._ Fuujin blinked when she saw Squall's mouth moving, but for some reason she couldn't hear a word of what he was saying. It was like watching someone talk to you from inside a car, only it would have been nearly impossible to hear them because the window was closed. _"...Sounds like you have a lot on your hands..."_ She commented. Due to her shady past, she was an expert at reading lips.

"Instructor Leonhart does it all so easily." Aerith remarked with a grin. "One would be envious of his abilities."

"Or admire them." Xu added.

_"One with fans, I see." _Fuujin teased the commander before something odd happened. Squall's hair suddenly seemed to grow in length...well actually, it kind of looked as though it was melting onto his face...wait, wait...no, his face was melti-WHAT THE HELL?

_Don't tell me..._ Fuujin looked to her glass with narrowed eyes before looking to Aerith's glass. From the looks of it, the flower had taken a few sips already, and yet, by the way she ate so calmly and naturally, she was either too oblivious to know that just drank from a drugged wine glass or she was simply impervious to the effects all together. That aside, what she was experiencing could only mean one thing. It had been a suspicion that lingered in the back of her mind ever since she set off from Balamb with Yuffie and Lulu, but now this confirmed it! Those two psychotic bitches betrayed her! Why, the nerve! The gall! Well, if they thought that they were going to-

_**BAthumpsh...**_

_..._

_..._

_..._

_"Xu?"_

_"Yes, Instructor Leonhart?"_

_"Our host just fell unconscious, didn't she?"_

_"...Why, yes...she did."_

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"...I'll take care of it."_

_Urgh..._

Fuujin opened her eyes to find herself lying against something soft. In fact by getting her eyes back in focus, she realized that she was lying along the couch in the living room of the inn, and to top things off, Squall was sitting in the chair across from her, watching her closely. How long had they been in here? More importantly, did he carry her in here? Well, Xu and Aerith hardly seem like the type to carry another woman in their arms while there was a big, strong, healthy...good looking...rugged...sexy-

_FOCUS!_ Fuujin brought her mind back on track, feeling her face to find her shades still in place. Hmm, what were the odds?

"I was wondering when you'd wake up." The lion told her.

_"OH...ahem...oh, how long have I been..._" Fujiin trailed off, sitting up on the couch.

"Less than half an hour." He replied, narrowing his eyes at her somewhat. The look in them started to make the silver-haired beauty a little nervous. "At first I was a little suspicious about it..."

_Suspicious? What's got you suspicious? _Fuujin tensed at his words, shifting on the couch uncomfortably. Was tonight the moment she had been dreading since the moment she laid her eyes on him so long ago? Did he finally uncover her dark secret? Would he even want to look at her again, now that he knew the type of woman she was? Oh, the blood shed would scar the minds of all who witnessed it if those two girls ended up being responsible for destroying her chances of ever making her deepest desires a reality. Yes, they would know true fear.

"But the maid told me about your sleeping disorder, so my worries are at rest." Squall explained to her.

_HUH?_ Fuujin blinked a few times after hearing his words. _So...he hasn't...I don't...oh, thank Hyne!_

_"Ah, yes..." _Fuujin feigned a bit of shame, bowing her head slightly. _"The doctor told me that with enough therapy, I should be able to control it...still, it's so embarrassing..."_

"Problems plague everyone." Squall told her, getting the stalker to raise her head with a bit of surprise. What was he doing? Was he trying to cheer her up somehow? "What affects that is the person's will to fight them," The commander's gaze grew intense as their eyes locked, "There's no shame in getting knocked down once in a while, but back down and you'll only allow them to get the best of you."

_"...Thank you."_

"Are you coming back to dinner?" Squall asked her, standing up from his chair. "I haven't eaten anything since you passed out."

_"You can go on without me." _Fuujin told him with a shake of her head. _"I must...tend to another matter."_

"Fine." The commander nodded before he left the living room to join the women in the dining room again.

_Good_. Fuujin stood up from the couch and cracked her knuckles. Now then, time to take care of business...

* * *

**_[ Looking to the kitchen of the inn... ]  
_**

Lulu stirred her cup of tea as she watched Yuffie do her little victory dance around the kitchen table. A little grin crept up on the lovely mage's face for a moment, disappearing in an instant when the kunoichi finished celebrating her personal victory over their appointed leader to turn to her with a smile of glee. Oh, she looked so happy. She was completely oblivious to that fact that perhaps there was another force at work in her plans.

"Haha!" Yuffie did a little turn and jumped up and down with joy. "Fuji is outta the game now! In the end, she was the one being used."

_Lulu nods absently, drinking from her cup._

"She thought that she could stick us with instructor Xu," Yuffie's voice squeaked for a moment, saying her next words, "and A-Aerith, while she had Mr. Leonhart for herself, but the tables have turned now!"

_Lulu nods again, setting her cup down on the counter top._

"Well, they should just about be done with dinner no-"

_"TRAITORS."_

It was at that moment that Yuffie Kisiragi got that feeling that all heroes felt when the final boss of their quest suddenly got back up after being knocked down for the first or second time. It was the same feeling that Squall and the others felt when Griever and Ultimecia decided to do the fusion dance. It was the same feeling that Cecil Harvey felt when Golbez failed to destroy Zeromus after descending countless floors of crystal and moon rock, loaded with invisible creatures of terror that materialized at random intervals in an attempt to force a game over. Perhaps even the same feeling that the espers felt when Kelfka decided that he wasn't going to take their crap anymore, and just unleash an unspeakable evil upon them. Yes, she had just moved on the level two of her biggest obstacle, and things were looking rather grim for her.

It didn't help that Fuujin had a knife in her hand when she turned around to face the infuriated woman.

...Her ATB was on the verge of filling to its maximum as well...

...looks like it was time to throw down.

"Lulu!" Yuffie called to her partner, holding out one hand. "Knife, please!"

_Nothing._

Yuffie shook her hand her outstretched hand for a bit of emphasis of how dire her situation was, "KNIFE, NOW!"

_Fuujin stalked closer, and still no knife._

"Lulu, would you-" Yuffie whipped her head to find no one standing behind her. The only proof of Lulu ever occupying the space beside the kitchen counter top was a steaming cup of tea. Yuffie was bordering on hysterical. _Did she teleport out of here,or what-when-how..._ Yuffie turned her attention back to Fuujin, and her smirk of confidence dropped like a withered flower petal.

"Survival time!" She cried out before rushing to open the counter top drawer for a knife to defend herself.

"So, she decided to stay behind?" Xu asked Squall, setting her fork and knife down upon her plate. If there was another peculiar thing about Xu that Squall had yet to understand, it was the mysterious storage in which she stored the contents of food that she consumed because he was sure that all she had eaten did not go to her stomach. Of course, searching for the answer to the mystery would come after he found out the truth about Angelo. That dog wasn't off the hook just yet. His time would come, and soon.

"Yeah." Squall answered her before drinking from his glass. "She must have been a little embarrassed." _I don't blame her..._

"How nice of you, instructor, to care for her." Aerith praised him with delight.

"Whatever." _Do you naturally talk that way?_

"Don't be so modest." Xu told him with a light pat on the shoulder. "Though I suppose it must have been a treat for you."

Those words made the young commander turn to face his fellow instructor. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, she isn't exactly hard to look at, is she?" Xu told him without a slightest bit of mirth in her voice. Even her lovely face, though wearing a smirk, looked serious. It was something that only the enigmatic instructor could pull off and it unsettled him well. "I'd say the fact that she was unconscious the entire time you watched over her must have been a bonus."

"...Your thoughts-"

"Arouse you?" Xu offered, resting her cheek in one hand.

"Quit that." Squall's lips curled into a snarl.

"Oh, look." Xu pointed to someone over his shoulder. And sure enough, Lulu had been standing over the lion like some sort of stalking predator, inspecting its pray for the impending kill. It didn't help matter that she had a measuring lace in one hand. What was the maid taking his measurements for? Judging by how she just rose up from behind Squall like a gopher from its hole, she must have been working his waist the entire time they had been talking. My, she was a sneaky one, wasn't she?

_Some interesting characters I'm meeting today._

"What happened to the shorter maid?" Aerith inquired curiously. "Is she alright?"

_Lulu shrugged her shoulders._

Aerith smiled in a knowing fashion that even confused the mute mage. "I see." She turned to her instructor. "Well then, Mr. Leonhart." The flower girl got the commander's attention. "It is getting kind of late, so I'm going to sleep."

"Sure." Squall told her. _The less women to deal with, the better._

Fuujin and Yuffie both were lying against the kitchen floor with their respective knives still somehow gripped in their hands. What made this scene rather peculiar, however, was the fact that there wasn't so much as a spot of blood on the floor. Well, actually that wasn't something very odd in this particular world, but this would technically apply as an alternate universe, so we'll consider it an anomaly. Now, both women appeared to be snoring...lightly, but snoring nonetheless.

Fuujin twitched...

...she twitched some more.

_"Mmmm..." _The eye patched beauty moaned in an adorable fashion as she stretched out on the floor in a rather suggestive fashion. The fact that her hands began to grip something invisible didn't seem to help the awkwardness of the scene much at all. _"...Deeper..." _Fuujin bit her lip in her deep slumber. _"...Pleas-HUH?"_ She awoke with a start, losing her grip on her knife and sitting up in place. With a cursory of the kitchen, she realized that she and the kunoichi must have had an epic battle, though judging by their close proximity, and the fact that she had just regained consciousness with no signs of suffering casualty, they both must have fallen asleep in the middle of a grappling match.

_The drug must have taken effect on me again. _Fuujin thought to herself, getting back to her feet unsteadily, however, after brushing herself off, a rather disturbing thought came to mind. _Now, the questions is, why did Kisiragi fall asleep? _Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. _Unless...Lulu! _Had that last though left her mouth, it would have come out in a growl. That black mage had been planning to take the commander for herself the entire time, and they both fell into her trap! A formidable one indeed, that mute serpent.

_She won't triumph in this. This is my scheme! Squall and I are des-_ Fuujin's legs nearly gave out on her as she rushed to the kitchen door to take her leave. Apparently the sleeping weed wasn't exactly the type of drug that would wear off after a simple nap. Boy, this was sure to make things a little more complex than usual.

_"DAMNATION." _The stalker grumbled to herself before she heard Yuffie stir in her sleep. Well, a little **(KICK TO THE HEAD_)_** would fix that...

* * *

**_[ Now, how about that item shop... ]  
_**

_I didn't know that these places ever closed._ Fuujin thought irritably, staring at the closed door of the item shop near the end of town. Now this might have been a hunch, but didn't the game designers only thrust in these sort of odd inconveniences whenever something weird was about to take pla-

"Stunning evening, hmm?" Fuujin turned away from the shop door when she heard a smooth voice from behind her. It was the kind of voice that you would hear in a love song by a heavy set male with a last name that could be considered a color. So when she found a rather short individual whose face was completely impossible to make out from under a pointed wizard hat, surrounded by the high collar of a navy wizard jacket, she was a little surprised. Then again, this totally followed that train of thought that was cut off a few lines up.

_"YOU ARE?" _Fuujin asked, crossing her arms suspiciously.

"Vivi, mystery merchant of the-"

_"DRUGS?" _Fuujin cut him off.

"That, too." The short black mage said almost dejectedly. "You need some?"

_"MUST STAY AWAKE."_

The black mage's yellow eyes narrowed with interest. "I see. Well, I've got just the thing for you." He unbuttoned the first four buttons on his jacket and reached in to pull out a small vial of what resembled candy corn. The only difference with these would have to have been the little tentacles that wriggled out of their cone shaped tops. The stalker was beginning to hope that they weren't supposed to be eaten as they were. It sure didn't look like one would recommend it.

_"THOSE ARE?" _

"Ochu gels." The shady mage replied, holding the vial out to her. "These will keep those eyes open all night. Of course, the effects wear off quicker depending on what activities you might have in mind."

The stalker regarded him silently as if contemplating whether to accept the odd looking gels, or to turn him away. _"SIDE EFFECTS?"_

"A little heightened arousal." Vivi replied, eyes swerving to the side. "Nothing a sensible individual wouldn't be able to handle."

_"PRICE?" _Fuujin asked with a little more eagerness than one would expect. Even the mage was caught off guard by how unfazed she seemed by the side effects that the gels carried. Perhaps she had a little something in mind that would put those effects to use. In either case, it was no business that he wanted to get involved in. By the looks of how she was breathing, he actually felt a little sorry for whomever she had as her designated target. Surely, her intentions were to consume them in any manner possible; as long as it got the job done, she didn't look like she cared.

"Fifty gil." Vivi answered her, holding out both of his hands. One with the bag in hand, and the other held out for the gil exchange. After the exchange was done, Fuujin looked at the bag with a look of hesitation.

The black mage stared at her silently.

She looked back.

_She isn't going to do it. I don't know anyone who would actuall- _If Vivi could make some kind of facial expression, his eyes would have narrowed to near slits, his mouth would have clamped tightly shut, wrinkles on his chin from how tightly it would have scrunched up in disgust. Sweat would form puddles in the pocket between his cheeks and eyes lids, and his brows would have formed arches too tight for sweat to pass between. All of this and more if possible because the woman before him had just opened the bag and gulped down the gels as though they were normal drops of candy. Yes, her face nearly turned purple upon the first five seconds of consumption, but it had returned to its normal shade in almost no time at all.

_"THANKS." _Fuujin told the short individual before walking past him, back on her way to the inn.

"...No problem." Vivi told her just as she was out of earshot. When Fuujin had entered the house, he turned away and adjusted his wizard hat. "Creepy girl." Of course, since this was indeed a story of many odd occurrences, Vivi would surely come across another customer just as odd. Not that I'm foreshadowing or any of those other terms that one would use when talking about a story, but if that didn't bring up a light bulb somewhere, then...what the hell?

* * *

Lulu was a woman that could honestly tell a person that she had experienced death before. Of course, it was also because of that experience that she was unable to tell that tale, which was cruel irony in itself. The point was, there was hardly anything that could possibly frighten the woman to the point that she would call out in desperate need of help, or pure unadulterated horror for that matter. In all honesty, that was the truth, however, there was something to be said of the young woman that went by the name Aerith Gainsborough. Meeting the flower girl for the first time at Edea's orphanage, Lulu was sure that she had finally come across something to worry about.

She was enigmatic.

She was odd.

Unnatural.

Hollow.

There were so many words in the known languages that could be used to describe her, and then there were words beyond that. All jokes aside, assisting Aerith in the bath had to be the hardest experience Lulu ever had the misfortune of being put through. First of all, the girl didn't even appear to be affected by her presence in the slightest. She was welcoming in an eerie way, and she didn't seem to mind being touched by her either, but she never said a word. It was all done in silence, and when it was over, she simply turned to her with a smile and dried herself to take her leave. Then there was that sowing on her back and her stomach that couldn't possibly go unnoticed by anyone who had the pleasure of getting a view of her curvaceous figure. The skin brought together by the sutures on both sides was a completely different color from the vanilla cream that made the young woman's complexion. It was dark and rotten looking. A possible stab wound, perhaps?

Lulu did her best not to let her thoughts linger too much on the subject as her next guest entered the bathroom from the small dressing room with nothing more than a black towel draped over one arm, and her shower supplies in a small bucket held against her waist with her other hand. It was at that point in time that Lulu realized that Xu did take care of herself well. The woman didn't seem like the type to put herself under any strenuous exercises, or activities that would fall under such a category, and yet, looking at her legs and her stomach _(Since Xu did come in facing her)_, that was a clear misunderstanding. Then again, Lulu had come to join the garden with her fellow White SeeDs after the entire Sorceress incident had come to pass, so she didn't know just how involved the enigmatic instructor was with all of the action that consumed the military academy.

"Service?" Xu asked, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the voluptuous black mage. Mind you, Lulu was completely dressed, so no worries there. After Lulu nodded in response to the instructor's question, Xu proceeded to walk to the steaming bath tub/ jacuzzi. She dropped her towel to the floor before ascending the short steps and dipped into the cloud of steam with a sigh of pleasure. Yes, mentioning the dark lion's name during her conversation with Quistis of their plans for the Winhill trip was a wise idea, indeed. He was definitely coming with them to the Shumi village next month. The possibilities of just how Squall's presence might affect that trip sent shivers of anticipation through Xu.

"So..." Xu began, pulling her body scrubber by its thing rope from her bucket as it bobbed up and down in the water. "...since you've already assisted Ms. Gainsborough, and you're attending to me right now," Xu turned her body to face Lulu as the posing maid made the appropriate adjustments to her skirt so that she could dip her legs in the water to assist her guest, "would I be right to assume that Instructor Leonhart is no exception to this generous service?"

Lulu nodded in response, turning her head down slightly in an attempt to hide the blush that crept up on her lovely face.

"Oh..." Xu squeezed some of her scented, liquid soap on to her scrubber as she studied the mute doll maker's face. "Well, how long have you been working this business, anyway?"

Lulu showed her two fingers.

"Right." Xu nodded as she began to scrub her right arm, working a smooth lather. "Then I guess you're familiar with a man's body." Xu watched another faint blush color the woman's cheeks and a smirk played upon her lips. "His back, anyway."

Lulu offered her an unsteady nod in response.

"By the way you blushed when I mentioned my fellow instructor's name, however; I'd have to say that you're taken by him, aren't you?"

Lulu bowed her head with no indication of answering her question.

Xu started on her other arm, grinning to herself. "No shame in that. After all, no one can blame you for fancying his looks." She stood up from the water, giving the mage a good look at her behind before she started working a lather around her body. "He carries himself well, and there's a strong presence about him. Anyone would be attracted to that." Xu held out the scrubber to Lulu before taking a seat on the ledge of the tub and the mage started scrubbing her back.

_Silence..._

"But I fear that my own greed pushes me to look for more than that in him." Xu suddenly said after a long moments silence. "As a woman, I want his body and his soul for myself, however, speaking as a soldier...I want his passion and his fury. I don't want him to surrender himself to me. No...that would be far to dull and boring. I want him to fight and dominate me before I succeed in doing the same to him. That is what I desire from a man of his caliber, and throughout my years knowing him, I know that I will not be disappointed."

Lulu nodded rather stiffly in response. Hearing the instructor speak that way started to rouse something within her that she wasn't very familiar with, or rather she was, but the current situation simply didn't click very well with it. Maybe if Squall was around, it would make a little more sense.

"So-" Xu dipped into the water to rinse herself, and reached into her bucket for her shampoo. After squeezing a bit into her hand, she worked it into her hair and smiled at Lulu. "-have fun with him."

_...You sure you don't want to take my place? _Lulu thought sarcastically.

Fuujin entered the inn quietly, but not in a manner that would be considered suspicious. She didn't want Squall or Xu becoming suspicious of her if they had a glimpse of her stalking through the halls in such a stealthy manner, but there was still the chance of Yuffie or Lulu trying to get the jump on her. Well, Yuffie could actually be considered less than a threat than the mage since she was undoubtedly still trying to battle the effects of the drug. Lulu, on the other hand, was an adversary that would possibly prove to be a challenge. Not only was she able to slip by as an enemy to the both of them, unnoticed, but she was able to execute everything rather well with even Yuffie as a pawn past the point that they had betrayed her. It didn't really help matters that she was a black mage. She was way more efficient in the ways of long range combat than even she was.

She would just have to deal with it.

Carefully reaching the stairway to the main floor where the bedrooms were located, Fuujin got a glimpse of Xu leaving the direction of the washroom to reach her room with nothing more than a towel wrapped around her. If memory served right, she was going to be sharing a room with the young commander...that left a bad taste in the stalker's mouth. The enigmatic instructor wasn't exactly someone that she wanted to cross, even if she was a possible obstacle in her plan to gain Squall's affections. To put things in the plainest terms, Xu would ultimately own her. Then there was Quistis as well. The blonde instructor was possibly a goddess of death given human form. Why hasn't anyone questioned the fact that she was able to erase an individual from existence with a simple point of her finger? If that wasn't enough, she could shoot rays from her eyes and her chest, rain bullets upon unsuspecting enemies without carrying any sort of ammunition, send victims to the highest reaches of heaven to obliterate them, breathe fire, and make a real mean dominatrix queen if she so desired. If that wasn't considered multi-talented, then what was?

_Not the time to be thinking of such things..._ The stalker thought to herself before she started her ascent to the top of the stairs. Squall didn't appear to be heading in for his bath yet, so this would have been the time for her to strike, however, taking a glance at the door to his room on her right, she found it closed. Well, of course it would be closed since Xu just went in to get dressed for the evening, but still...he wasn't in there with her...was he? Luckily, Fuujin, was able to restrain herself from running up to the door and giving it a solid round house kick to do a little investigation. There was still another matter at hand. And so, rushing to the bathroom with feet so light, a ninja would be put to shame-

-she found no one...

_Dammit._ Fuujin thought before ducking out of instinct, and it served her well, saving her a concussion from the towel bar that Lulu swung at her head. The stalker rolled forward, twisting around to face the doll maker when her feet was planted on the floor again, and a staring match ensued...

_-"Dead End" plays-_

Fuujin rushed forward and blocked a swing from Lulu with her right arm, gritting her teeth at the painful sensation that tore across her forearm from the surprisingly solid hit. For a mage, Lulu had a pretty good swing. With that in mind, Fuujin countered with a back hand to her face, but the mute woman ducked and took her by surprise with a leg sweep. Finding her enemy temporarily stunned, Lulu lifted the towel bar over her head and prepared to bring it down upon her, but something unexpected intervened.

"Hyaa!" Lulu jumped back when Yuffie charged in with a silver candle holder in her hand, giving Fuujin the opportunity to roll aside and put some distance between the two other women and herself. It turned into a three way stand off.

_-"Never Look Back" plays-_

"I'll admit, you almost had me." Yuffie told Lulu with a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "But I'm not going down this time! I'm all jacked up on ochu gels, and I'm ready to kick some ass!" Declaring this to the black mage, Yuffie never took notice of how Fuujin slipped a fresh soap bar out of its box and took aim for her head before letting it fly at her head with enough force to put her lights out-

_**SHPACK!**_

_-and so, it did, cutting the back ground music short._

_Lulu and Fuujin faced each other again._

_They charged._

_Lulu swung-_

_-Fuujin ducked, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her to the floor tiles._

_**K-O!**_

_"Stick to magic, bitch." _Fuujin spat at the unconscious mage before she looked to the hallway from the bathroom door. Finding two unconscious maids in the bathroom wouldn't do very good for her plans. She had better get Yuffie and Lulu somewhere safe before Squall came out and decided to take his bath...

_(((((... Just a moment...)))))_

_Fuujin closed the closet door beside the bathroom, sighing with relief._

_"Taken care of."_ She said to no one in particular before the closet door creaked open a bit to let an arm hang out. Seeing this, Fuujin quickly stuffed the arm back in and closed the door again, leaning against it to make sure that it was shut tight. All that was really left now was to wait for the lion to enter the bathroom. From there, things would flow nicely.

_Although..._ Fuujin looked down at the clothes she was wearing and frowned a little. _...a maid uniform would be much more appropriate for this sort of situation._ With that in mind, she proceeded to descend the stairs to the first floor and look for the outfit that Lulu made for her. At the exact moment that she had taken her leave of the second floor, the door to Squall and Xu's room opened and the commander walked out with a look of annoyance plastered over his features.

_Xu is just doing this to annoy me._ Squall thought to himself as he crossed the hall to reach the bathroom. First the woman entered the room casually as though the young man wasn't sitting on the bed the entire time, and then she simply let the towel drop without warning him. Did she consider him a man at all? _And I thought Quistis was bad enough with the teasing. No wonder her and Xu get along so well._

He closed the door behind him when he entered the bathroom, looking for the towel bar to drape his towel over to find it lying on the floor.

"...Did someone break it off?" The commander questioned, lifting it from the floor to inspect the end that was formerly attached to the side of the bath tub/ jacuzzi. _Well, it doesn't really affect me, anyway. _He thought to himself, dropping his towel to the floor. After setting the bar down somewhere out of the way, he reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head before folding it and laying it on top of the toilet seat. He did the same with his pants, and dropped his boxers on the floor with his belt.

_...I knew I was forgetting something. _The commander growled, knitting his brows. Fortunately, looking down, he found a bar of soap on the floor. He studied it for a moment after picking it up and shrugged his shoulders before entering the tub and adjusting the water until it was just the right temperature. Taking a seat, he sighed as the water gradually rose to his waist. "This is more like it." The lion purred, shutting off the water before it got, too, high. He sat back again and closed his eyes.

_I guess this wasn't so bad after all. A nice relaxing soak like this is all I needed. _He opened his eyes for a moment when he swore he heard something, but a few seconds later he closed them again. _Maybe I should do this again some other ti...hmm?_ His train of thought came to a halt when he felt a bit of warmth on the sides of his face. He brought up his right hand to feel a calf beside him. Where did that come from? He did the same with his left hand to find another calf.

"What the-" Squall opened his eyes and let his head fall back to find himself looking up at Fuujin's face from between her legs. Since she had her shades on, however, he simply mistook her for the hostess again. Certainly, any man would have found this sort of situation very awkward. How often did you find a woman with you in the bath that wasn't there seconds ago, and to make matters more complicated, in such a...ahem...compromising position? Then again, if Squall Leonhart was just _'any man',_ we wouldn't have much of a tale to tell, would we?

"You..." Squall managed to say, overcoming his initial urge to flip her off of him.

_"A problem?" _Fuujin asked innocently.

"You don't see one?" The commander asked, raising an eyebrow, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Fuujin was gradually closing her legs to trap him in place.

_"This is a service we have here."_

"Service?"

_"Yes."_ Fuujin replied with a nod before dipping her hand into the water, dangerously close to his legs. Squall's eyes darted to the arm within the water, unable to make out anything else beyond that since there was so much steam rising from the water. It wasn't until she pulled it back out to reveal a sponge that he relaxed. _"I'm just here to assist with your bath. Nothing else." _She ended her sentence with a shockingly cheeky smirk. One would wonder if it was just a way to keep him from thinking that it was really her, or if the side effects of those gels were finally starting to take effect.

"Right." Squall replied, coming to the conclusion that any questions he might ask her would be skillfully answered until he threw in the towel, so to speak. That was something he would much rather not waste his time with, so as long as she just did what she came for and left, all would be just fine and dandy. Looking at her face did bring a bit of a disturbance though.

"Aren't you...the hostess?" Squall asked, quirking a brow up at her. For a moment he could swear that it was getting a little harder to breath.

_"Yes."_ Fuujin answered, relieved that he had not caught on to her true identity. Of course, it also brought a faint worry to the back of her mind. If it was this easy to fool her beloved, then who was to say that no one else could pull off the same thing and get away with it? Hm...much to fear, indeed.

"...Oh." Squall nodded with a bit of hesitation. _Then...doesn't that mean there's a chance that she could just suddenly doze off? _The image that was brought to his mind after the thought passed made the commander just a little tense. That certainly would not turn out well. "Is that really advised?"

_"I've taken my pills if that is your concern." _Fuujin assured him. _"I won't just fall asleep on top of you." Though, that wouldn't be such a bad idea..._

"Alright." Said Squall...

_Silence..._

_...Blink...Blink-Blink..._

_It's still kind of hard to bathe..._ The commander thought, unable to make any movement while the woman was present. Not that Fuujin was bothered by this in the least. In fact, it brought up some rather interesting ideas.

_"Shall I get to work then?" _Fuujin asked, shifting forward a bit to reach for his right arm. In the process, she had Squall's head squeeze a little further between her legs until he was completely enveloped. Now, it wasn't that Squall was, too, oblivious to know when something was up, but for the first time in his life, his mind had come to a sudden grinding halt. All he could do was allow her to scrub his arm. After all, she wasn't exactly doing anything wrong, right? She probably didn't even know what she was doing to him right now.

_No. That's just a damn excuse to cover up the fact that you're freezing up. _The commander inwardly berated himself. _There has got to be something you can do. She's practically giving you a bath, man. Hm...I've nevr done this with Rinoa before. I wonder if I should surprise her one day._

_"Something on your mind?" _Fuujin asked with a hint of worry when he had gone completely silent.

"Hm?" Squall snapped out of his daze before turning to look up at her, rubbing against her unintentionally. "...Actually," He thought of something quickly, studying the blush that was blossoming on her lovely face. Was she getting something out of this? Hey...she looked a bit familiar now that he really though about it. "I was just thinking...you remind me of someone..."

_"An old girlfriend, perhaps?" _Fuujin asked boldly.

"No." Squall answered her bluntly, bringing a rising fear to her stomach as he narrowed his eyes somewhat. _Definitely not._

Fuujin's mind started chugging like a locomotion. _I'd better distract him. _She dropped his right arm into the water, and grabbed a hold of his other arm, forcing him to turn at an odd angle as she said, _"Then, a friend, maybe?" _

"...Well..." Squall seemed a little unsure much to her building dread. Did he think of her as anything than just one of Seifer's old partners? Geez, this was really beginning to piss her off. "I suppose you could say that." His answer put her anxiety to rest, and had the blush return to her face again. _Me and Fuujin...friends? Well, we have been talking a lot lately. Hrm...talking? I probably wouldn't think that sort of thing was ever possible between us a year ago._

_"Tell me about this girl." _Fuujin told him, scrubbing his shoulder in a fashion similar to worship.

"Why?" Squall asked, a little puzzled by her interest in the subject. _Then again, it's probably my fault anyway. Anyone would be curious to know about a person if you told them that they were similar in some way._

_"CURiosity." _Fuujin told him, glancing at the dialogue box that popped up in the air with hopes that it would disappear before the young commander saw her mistake. _"So..." _She made him lean a bit so she could get to work on his shoulder blades. It took every ounce of will power in her to keep from substituting the sponge with her bare hands. Oh, how she longed to grip those muscles and caress them. No, she wanted to do more than that. Screw the accursed sponge; She wanted to lick him all over until he was clean. She wanted to get a taste of his days worth of sweat. "_...t...tell me about her." _She forcefully shoved such temptations to the back of her mind before they controlled her very will.

_That drug is...beginning to interfere..._

_"What's her name?" _Fuujin asked, making sure to pinch herself so that she would return to her senses.

"Fuujin." Squall answered her, making her heart leap a little.

_He is talking about me. _

"I've known her for a while, but I suppose you could say that I didn't actually meet her until a week ago."

_Oh, but I've known you far longer._

"She was always pretty distant to begin with, anyway."

_It couldn't be helped, but couldn't the same be said about you? In the past you were practically unreachable...until Heartily appeared before you._

"Given the circumstances, before, I guess it wasn't much of a healthy relationship."

_"Meaning?" _Fuujin asked curiously, having him lean forward a little further so she could bring the sponge a little lower down his back. If she really focused her eyes past the steam, she could swear that she could make out the outline of his butt. She clicked her teeth a few times as a private thought passed through her mind.

"She didn't really like me in the past." Squall told her. "There was a bit of animosity between us."

His words dropped an atom bomb on her thoughts. _BLASPHEMY!_

"Especially since I wasn't a good terms with the guy she was interested in." Squall went on.

_SEIFER? YOU MEAN, SEIFER!_

"I mean, I think she was. She'd follow that guy to hell and back if he needed her to." The lion said with a bit of distaste in his voice. "It was admirable, but a little sad at the same time."

_DAMNATION!_

"...I guess I wouldn't know how that's like...standing beside a person even as the world ended around them." The commander's voice took on a sudden change in tone. It was almost as if he wasn't really speaking to her anymore. "To fight for them even as others tried to convince you how wrong they were in their views."

_I would do the same for you..._

"Yeah...it angered me to see her follow that guy so willingly, but I still couldn't help but admire her for it. I mean...damn...she was just unshakable. Nothing could bend or break her. I guess you could say that I'm a little relieved that things have changed between us." Squall sighed, ripples forming on the water from the rush of breath.

_"Sounds..." _Fuujin paused, digesting his words. _"...complex."_

"Yeah." Squall nodded, bobbing his chin up and down on the surface of the water.

_"So might it be possible..." _The stalker trailed off.

"For what?" Squall blinked at her question. _You're pretty absorbed in this..._

_"For the two of you to become closer?"_

"...I suppose so." Squall's answer almost elicited a loud gasp from her, but his next words dashed her misunderstandings with a hammer. "I wouldn't mind having her as a close friend."

_"...Oh. That's nice." _Fuujin commented, bowing her head somewhat. She pulled the sponge away from his back, allowing him to sit up again, and said, _"You can stand up now."_

Squall pressed his hands on the sides of the ledge just beside between her legs to help himself up, but-

_-Wait a second!_

-he let go quickly, letting himself drop back in to the water before it was too late.

"Y-You're not serious, right?" Squall asked her, turning his head to regard her with a bit of surprise clear on his face.

Fuujin simply smirked at him. _Well, at least I got to see his butt._

_

* * *

_**_To Be Continued...

* * *

_**

_So, Squall, is that where you draw the line for me? Am I forever to be the woman on a far shore from you? I want to be more than that. Yes, I am pleased to know that our bond can go as far as a close friendship, to know that one day you will share your secrets with me, and possibly share a laugh or two, but that is not enough. It will never be enough, and I'll never accept it. I want you to desire me and no one else. I want you to hold me, to kiss me, to caress me, and share yourself with no one else. I refuse to let the line be drawn between us, and I will do all I can to ensure that one day you will feel the same way that I desperately feel for you. Please...hold on just a little longer..._

_Please..._

**_-Stalker's Log, September 24-_**_

* * *

_

_The camera gets a close up of Shiva and Siren sitring side by side at a reporters table with professionally matched smiles and folded hands._

_"Welcome to the post chapter section." _Shiva greets. _"I am Shiva, and I'll be your host for the night."_

_Siren nods to the camera, "And I am Siren. Good evening to you all."_

_"Quite a-_

_"Chapter, wouldn't you say?" _Siren cuts off her partner before she can go on any further. _"It appears that our main female lead has come to understand a little more of what Squall thinks of her, and yet, was it everything that she had hoped for?"_

_"Yes..." _Shiva picks up with a slight growl in her voice. She's clearly peeved by her fellow guardian's rudeness. _"Nothing but disappointment in the end, but could she honestly expect any more than that? It's not as if Ms. Heartily has been severed from his heart. Then there's the fact that our main heroine isn't that close to the commander to begin with."_

_"How tragic." _Siren feigns a bit of sadness. _"Kind of like your relationship with him, Shivy." _Siren smirks at her partner wickedly.

_"Um, excuse me? What was that?" _Shiva raises an eyebrow.

_"Oh come on. Don't play dumb with me." _Siren chuckles. _"You two will never be anything more than partners on the battlefield."_

Shiva gasps, sounding insulted. _"I'll have you know that we are quite close! We talk with each other almost every time we have the opportunity!"_

Siren regards her skeptically, _"And when is that? I haven't even seen any scenes between you in the story."_

_"It's called, 'behind the scenes', dummy." _Shiva defends her point, crossing her arms when Siren scoffs at her words. _"Besides, who are you to talk? If that's the case, you live a far more horrible tragedy everyday."_

_"Huh?"_

_"Yeah, don't 'Huh' me. You and your mistress hardly get any chances to bond with him!"_

Siren blushes furiously. _"Just give us some time, dammit! We'll have him soon enough!"_

_"Yeah. I'll give you time to come to your senses!"_

_Odin looks to Gilgamesh awkwardly..._

"I don't think this is very wise." _Odin tells the red clad guardian. _"You might, very well, make it worse."

_Gilgamesh laughs in a haughty fashion. _"You keep forgetting how ingenious I am, friend." _He turns away from Odin for a moment to peek through the window at Shiva and Siren as they continue to argue. _"Just tell her to go in."

_Odin hesitates. _"I still say-"

_Gilgamesh slaps his shoulder. _"I said, send her in."

_Odin rolls his eyes before looking to the woman behind him. _"You can go in now."

"Alright." _The woman says with a nod._

_The focus returns to the room Shiva and Siren are squabbling in, directing the camera to the portal to the room. A young woman materializes in front of it and waves at the camera. Along with being blessed with a lovely face, she has unruly green hair, emerald green eyes, green lipstick. Her dress of choice is a scanty green outfit that one would usually find on an exotic dancer, revealing her shapely legs for all to see. The outfit hugs the contours of her body, offering a generous view of her cleavage as well. _

_At the sight of her, Shiva and Siren freeze in place, going completely silent..._

_"Um..." _Shiva is stunned.

Siren coughs loudly after choking on her own spit.

There's silence...

...

_"RYDIA!" Both lovely guardians call out to her after they recompose themselves._

_"Um, hey guys." _Rydia greets them back, approaching the table.

_"Here!" _Shiva has a chair of ice materialize beside her for the summoner to sit on. _"Have a seat beside me!"_

Siren frowns at her. _"You want her to freeze her butt off?"_

_"Whatever." _The blizzard goddess stands up from her folding chair, instantly defrosting it in the process and takes a seat on her own newly created seat. _"Take my seat, then."_

_"Thanks." _Rydia nods to Shiva before doing just that.

_"S-So, what brings you to our realm?" _Siren asks the summoner.

_"Y-Yeah." _Shiva joins along with the questioning. _"I haven't seen you around her for a while."_

_"Gilgamesh invited me over." _Rydia replies cheerfully.

_Shiva and Siren send death glares at said guardian through the observatory window._

_Odin and Gilgamesh turn away from them innocently._

_"Oh, that's cool." _Shiva says with a forced smirk.

_"Yeah..." _Siren does the same with a nod.

_"So are you going to be joining us on the show from now on?" _The ice queen inquires hesitantly.

Rydia nods in response. _"Whenever I get the chance, yeah."_

Siren nudges her with a grin. _"It kind of sounds like you're going to be busy. What's going on?"_

_"You really wanna know?" _Rydia asks with a mischievous tone of voice.

Shiva nods fervently. _"Yeah! Spill it!"_

_"I'll be making an official appearance in the story soon!" _The summoner informs them excitedly.

_Shiva and Siren go completely silent, staring at her..._

_...and they stare..._

_...and stare..._

_"Are you guys okay?"_

_Carbuncle walks into Bahamut's room to find the dragon playing cards in the corner with Tiamat..._

_"Hey, Bahamut." _The furry, green guardian calls the dragon's attention.

_"What?" _The dragon king asks, setting down another card on the table.

_"Another one of your cousins just came from Square-enix's office. They say that he's going to be living here from now on." _Carbuncle announces, walking to the dragon with the letter in his hand.

_"Damn." _Tiamat laugh, spouting flames from his nostrils. _"Another one?"_

Bahamut growls, tapping his claws on the table. _"Who is it this time?"_

_"Bahamut Skyline."_

_"Skyline?" _Bahamut regards the green guardian with disbelief.

_"Isn't that a car model?" _Tiamat chortles.

_"Yeah..." _Carbuncle nods, stifling a laugh.

_Silence..._

_"Tell them I said, screw that shit."_

_

* * *

_

_

* * *

_

_**[ END TRANSMISSION ]**_


	13. Where were we?

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

_**FFVIII: The Stalker's Log **_

**_Chapter Twelve: Of Pain and Pleasure_**

_By Traingham_

* * *

Xu, elite instructor of Balamb Garden's SeeD candidates was a woman that was quite capable of handling most situations when it came to the motions of living. She faced every moment with a composed smirk, and she faced every adversary with the cold cunning of a professional killer...a sexy killer; one that had men on their knees begging for her to take them! Ahem...um...anyway, Xu was not so much the damsel in distress as she was the fierce female mercenary that the main character of an epic story would meet along their travels. She was not so much the lovely princess as she was the exotic belly dancer that kept blades cleverly strapped against her shapely legs for any person foolish to try and cop a feel. In short, she was the last person that anyone in the garden ever expected to be plagued with any problems that she could not find a solution to, however, ironically enough, she was now faced with just that, and it should have been of no surprise to the readers that the root of that very problem was the one man that she ever cared to keep in her thoughts, Squall Leonhart.

It all started two nights ago when the young commander returned to the bedroom they were sharing at some shady Winhill Inn that had been operated by equally shady characters. She naturally took her chance with the lion that night to tease him, working on his manly ego to coerce him into joining her in bed. It was all harmless fun as the commander slept with his back to her for about half of the night until she decided to wrap an arm around his stomach to disturb him. His reaction to her daring move stole her breath away even as she presently stared at her reflection in the sink mirror of her bathroom. Instead of forcing her off of him with a threat as she expected, he turned around in her embrace and took her to a world that threatened to break all boundaries between them. He touched her, kissed her, made her feel as if she was consumed in a passionate inferno that she had yet to experience in her entire life. He stunned her with his heavenly caresses and excited her with the hellish flames of his intensity, and it all took place for about seven minutes at which point someone decided to press the off button on the dark mercenary and leave the lovely instructor dazed and disappointed.

The next morning the commander simply got out of bed as though nothing ever transpired between them. The trip back to Balamb Garden from the town of Winhill was, needless to say, a confusing one for Xu. Her attempts to elicit some positive reaction from him with subtle gestures and lopsided smirks brought nothing out of Squall, but raised eyebrows and the commander's usual no nonsense responses. It kind of got her thinking...

"What was it all about?" Xu asked her reflection. Unfortunately, her reflection appeared to be just as stumped as she was, offering her no possible explanations to her current dilemma. Of course a small chocobo walked by on the mirror with a kweh, but that was just to show that the loading time for her shower had passed and she could walk inside. Wait a minute...

_**... _ ... _LOADING_ ... _ ...**_

"Heeeeeeey!" Selphie Tilmitt called through the crack of the door to Squall's dorm room in her morning jog outfit. A nice, loose fitting, yellow jogging outfit to be quite specific, and how the male students hated how it looked on her! It simply did her no justice to run around in such a baggy uniform. It made her look like a child! Those opinions aside, Selphie huffed in annoyance when her usual call wasn't answered by the sleeping lion. She almost opted for ramming the door, however, she decided to do away with the plan when the door was finally answered for her.

"Yes?"

"Um..." Selphie dropped her arms at her sides, jaw on the verge of falling in shock for what she was faced with was not the pleasant sight of a shirtless Squall Leonhart, which she secretly looked forward to every morning, but rather another woman...that was not Rinoa Heartily.

"What brings you to mi' lord's room?" Beatrix inquired of the shocked girl in what would have been easily mistaken for a polite tone if one did not listen well. Selphie's response to the question posed to her was to simply blink at the white SeeD. "What is the matter?"

Selphie finally recovered with a vengeance. "W-What do you mean?" She jabbed an accusing finger at the Alexandrian knight. "What are you doing in Squall's room?"

"Cleaning for mi' lord." Beatrix replied before gesturing to the maid outfit that she currently donned. Where did she get that from?

"Cleani-" Selphie stopped herself in mid-sentence, shaking her head in frustration. "Um, nevermind! Where is mi' lor- I...I mean, Squall?"

"I've no idea." Beatrix answered her, and it was no lie either because the loyal knight had not come through the door as most normal individuals did when they paid the commander a visit. No, Beatrix chose to take things from a different approach, like the window, for instance. Unfortunately for her, Squall was not in bed when she arrived to awaken him so instead of partaking in the pleasure of dining with him, she decided that he would come to appreciate a clean room when he returned. It was the least she could do for her lord.

"That's weird."

"Truly peculiar, indeed." Beatirx agreed.

"..."

"..."

"It still doesn't explain why you're even in there, though." Selphie said with narrowed eyes.

"I don't expect you to understand." With that, Selphie found herself squaring off with a slammed door.

* * *

"So what is the situation?" Squall asked Headmaster Cid, standing beside the Infirmary with his arms crossed. By now the gesture was more of a security measure for himself more than anything else. With all of the random insanity that he'd been put through since the day Cid and Edea assigned the White SeeD students to study under his wing, the urge to strangle the kindly, middle-aged headmaster was getting stronger every time he requested to meet with him.

"Just a moment, Squall." The Robin Williams look-alike motioned to him with a halting gesture before his eyes crinkled at the sight of someone approaching from behind the young commander, and for unexplainable reasons the lion felt the hairs on the nape of his neck stand as if the beating drums of a battle had started up in the background. "Good morning, Xu." The elder man greeted the elite instructor as she took her place beside her fellow instructor.

"Good morning to you, Headmaster Cid." She offered him a slight bow of her head before she turned it to look up at Squall. "And to you, Instructor Leonhart."

"Xu..." Squall returned her greeting.

_...Fithos...lusec...wecos...vinosec..._

"Hmm?" Squall blinked when the ominous voice echoed throughout the Garden. "Did anyone hear that?"

"Hear what?" Cid and Xu asked him.

"That chanting." Squall told them, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. _The one that I always hear when my luck is about to go rotten._

"Come now, Commander." Cid said with a grin. "How am I supposed to place my faith in you when you're still half asleep?"

_I don't know, but_ _I've come not to trust your judgment with people to begin with. _"Whatever. Just forget about it."

"Getting down to business," Cid folded his hands behind his back, "Dr. Kadawo...Kadwas..."

"Kadowaki?" Xu and Squall offered their suggestion of the name at the same time at which point Cid played off his error by adjusting his glasses up the bridge of his nose and nodding.

"Um, yes, Kadowaki has called in sick." He informed them with a straight face. "As you might have already figured through that information, that would mean that no one is present to tend to injured students in the infirmary."

"Right." Squall nodded.

"..." Xu looked to the side, stifling a laugh.

"..."

"..."

Being put off by the pregnant silence that ensued, the commander raised an eyebrow expectantly at Mr. Kramer. "So, there isn't a doctor for the day. Tough. The students will manage just fine with a few curative spells in stock."

"Well that is why I am putting you two in charge of the infirmary for the day." Cid informed the lion as though it was the most natural course of action to take in the absence of the good doctor. Screw all the rules and ethics, he was the damn headmaster. "Being commander, the students will trust your guidance should they feel a need to come to the infirmary. Xu will be present to assist you."

_Somehow I feel relieved that this is as far as my misfortune can bring me. _Squall's facial expression softened into a less annoyed expression; as far as his emotional capacity could take him as far as relief was concerned. Squall's expressions could only fall under _'Pissed'_, _'Annoyed'_, _'Slightly annoyed'_ and the ever rare _'Mind blowing smile'_. As it was stated somewhere within the depths of this story, that last expression was as nigh impossible to see as Shiva's clothes. What was that woman's deal anyway?

Squall's expression went from slightly annoyed, back to annoyed when his ears picked up a familiar, pleased giggle. "Good morning, Mr. Leonhart." The young commander closed his eyes and muttered something too low for anyone to hear before turning his head slowly to regard his tormentor. There Aerith stood in her Balamb school uniform, hands held behind her back as she stared back at him with that smile. While it may have been charming to anyone who was unfamiliar with the flower girl, Squall Leonhart could only be met with an abnormal sensation in his stomach when she offered him a view of her pearly whites. There was something wrong about this girl and he only hoped that he would be through with instructing her before the day came that he'd find out just what. Of course, considering how Hyne had apparently assigned him the honor of being her lovable chew toy, those hopes were not flying very high.

"Gainsborough..." Squall returned her greeting, his expression dispassionate as it had always been. Normally his response to seeing her would have been _~'You'~_ _(Said with narrowed eyes and a low menacing voice)_, however, since Xu and the headmaster were present he opted for the more formal approach.

"Would you happen to be covering for Dr. Kadowaki?" She asked him as though it were obvious that it could be the only reason he would be standing in front of the infirmary with Cid and Xu...which was true, but her coming to such a conclusion so quickly was quite suspicious, as was just about everything else about her. Xu and Cid were either not getting the same vibes from her as he was, or they were just simply ignoring it so that they wouldn't have to get involved later. Taking into account all the times in the past they had proven how magnificent they were in the arts of trickery and all around cunning bastardry, Squall was unwilling to believe anything else over the latter.

"...Yeah, I am." Squall opted for answering Aerith when she had not budged from his line of sight.

The flower girl's smile twitched a little higher as she brought both of her hands to her chest, "Then expect a visitation from me later." The eerie young woman told him before offering a wave of farewell. She resumed her walk to the cafeteria, but not without leaving a parting message of, "I'll be extra sure to throw caution into the wind."

"She's an honest girl." Xu observed, stroking her chin. "Quite admirable, indeed."

"Yes," Cid nodded with a smirk, "Hard to find a girl like that these days." He crinkled his eyes cheerfully when Squall turned to face him, the usual scowl present on the lion's face. "I've heard stories about your popularity with the young women of the Garden, but I'll be the first to admit that I passed it off as a mere exaggeration. Now I know."

For the first time in a while Squall felt his left eye twitch with a vengeance. "Whatever."

* * *

**_[ Balamb Garden: CAFETERIA ]_**

"I'm really beginning to dislike Squall's position as an instructor," Rinoa commented after allowing her spoon to clatter upon her breakfast tray. Quistis, Zell and Irvine glanced at her from their own meals, but made no attempt to feed wood into the fire. "It was bad enough when he was just the commander of the SeeD division, but now that he has to instruct new recruits personally he spends more time in his office than before. I just kind of feel like...like..."

"You're single again?" Quistis offered to finish her sentence.

Rinoa recoiled at her words as though the blonde instructor slapped her with them. "W...Well...yeah." The young Heartily nodded, her hair bouncing along with the motion of her head. Over forty percent of the male students in the room melted to mush. The other remaining percent heard loud knocks come from underneath their tables and looked away from their girlfriends before they could inquire about the suspicious sound. Rinoa Heartily was adorable incarnate. It was too bad that she happened to only be attracted to gunblade specialists with scars on their faces and penchants for being total badasses. Yeah, something about those standards somehow made her seem even less touchable than before.

"Rin," Zell called her attention without bothering to swallow what was in his mouth, "Guy undershtand wur ur gomin furm-" He swallowed, wagging his spoon in front of her face as he went on, "I, too, get similar complaints from my own girlfriend, but you gotta understand..." Quistis and Irvine blinked at their friend as he continued with his speech, "...Being an instructor is serious business. It's our sole responsibility to mold these recruits into fine soldiers so that in the case that some other evil decides to threaten the land, be it...I don't know...lets call him 'Seymour' or some dude wizard from another planet with emotionless midgets , we'll be ready for him!"

Quistis adjusted her glasses and sighed, "Zell, it would be so much easier to take you seriously if the reason your girlfriend complains to you had nothing to do with your tendency to go out for drinks with Nida late in the afternoon so that you can both catch the hockey games in Galbadia." Her words made the martial artist gasp as though he'd been betrayed.

"She told you?"

"More like, you two don't understand the meaning of discreet." The blonde instructor informed him, her glass lenses shining frighteningly.

(~(~ Attention all students of the Garden. This is your Headmaster with an update on the status of events within the Garden. Dr. Kadowa...Kodowa...er...Dr. Kadapu _~)~)_

_(~(~ will be unavailable at the infirmary today.~)~)_

Many of the students began speaking amongst themselves after hearing the announcement from the headmaster. The chances of any of them needing to head towards the infirmary was rather slim considering all of the advantages that they had over death itself. That save point had to be good for something, after all.

_"Shyeah, like that's really important." _A girl joked amongst her circle of friends getting a few of them giggling in response.

_"I don't know why the Garden wastes its fund in a medical facility anyway. I mean, with all of the curative spells we have, technology has already reached its limits."_

_"Yeah, I mean, I only just brought my goldfish back from the dead earlier this morning. I've got a few more Full-Lifes in stock if anyone needs any."_

"Dr. Kadowaki has got it so good." Irvine shook his head, shifting the straw in his mouth from side to side out of boredom. "I wonder how much Cid pays her just to answer challenges from card players."

"That's funny, because I heard that Cid is having a secret relationship with her behind Matron's back." Zell said, sitting back in his seat with a proud smile as if bringing such information to light was bound to get him brownie points.

"Ugh," Quistis shook her head at the martial artists gossip, "Seriously, Zell, where did you hear that? You should know better than to go around listening to such baseless gossip. I'd expect more of you, Know-it-all- Zell."

Zell's expression suddenly became serious as he told her, "And don't you forget it."

"Quisty is right though, Zell." Irvine agreed with the blonde instructor, tipping his hat upwards with a finger under the brim. "I'd doubt Cid would be able to get away with such a thing. Matron is sorceress after all. Do you realize what she'd do to him if he ever did something so ridiculously stupid? I mean, besides that, Matron is a total knock out."

"Eww." Rinoa made a disgusted face at the cowboys choice of words. "How could you say that Irv? Isn't she practically like your mom?"

"She looks like she could be my older sister." The former Galbadian student grinned. "With a woman like her that doesn't age. It's like a guilty pleasure, eh?"

The resistance princess turned her head and stuck her tongue out, "Bleh. Disgusting."

Quistis left the two to their devices and rested her chin on the back of her hand, her eyes wandering among the rest of the students as they bragged about the special privileges that magic allowed them to have in life. "I wonder what Squall is doing right now." She muttered, tracing a circle along the surface of the table with her free hand. "It's like nothing has been going right for me. I invited him over to Winhill and Xu managed to find some way to steal the show-"

_(~(~ Ah, before I forget, there will be two people covering for the good doctor while she is absent. ~)~)_

_"You're joking, right?" _One guy from the left corner of the cafeteria said out loud, likely in search of attention from his fellow classmates. Nobody paid him any mind.

_(~(~ Elite Instructor, Xu, will be posted at the Infirmary for any student that requires her help. With her will be Squall Leonhart. ~)~)_

_**"HUH?"**_ Almost every female student in the cafeteria gawked at each other after that last announcement came through the intercom. Did Cid just say that Squall Leonhart was waiting for all of them in the infirmary, ready and willing to tend to their every need? Did he mean to say that if one of them were to get severely hurt, the strapping young commander would be there to revitalize them with his hot, burning sexiness. Well...of course not, but this is where selective hearing came into play.

"Well, looks like Squall is finally getting his day off." Zell joked with one of his usual smiles, however, something about the looks on Quistis and Rinoa's face made them appear a little too serious. What were they so hung up on? "...Um guys? That was a jo-"

"Don't explain the joke, man!" Nida cried out from beside him without warning. "Let them figure it out for-"

"Wah!" Zell almost fell back in his seat from his sudden appearance. "When did you get there?"

The garden pilot raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? I've been sitting here for a whi-"

"He must be a wizard." Irvine cut Nida off before he could finish his sentence, and the cowboy was dead serious. "Wizards do that all the time."

Nida blinked, "...never mind." He wisely went back to eating his breakfast while Zell and Irvine discussed the parallels between wizards and sorceresses. Meanwhile in the background, the safety hazards of sporks and plastic knives were going into effect as female students suddenly lost their hand coordination, and, well...accidents happen.

* * *

**_[ Balamb Garden: Infirmary ]_**

"There isn't much to work with in this room." Squall walked out of the small resting area of the office, stopping in front of the good doctor's desk with his arms crossed. The expression on his face clearly projected the message that he would much rather be in his office right now dealing with things that actually concerned him, like molding the future protectors of the world. You never knew when the ultimate evil was going to just show up again.

Xu looked to the commander behind folded hands before she raised her head to smile, saying, "It goes to show you how resourceful the doctor is. And I do recall you coming here before." She tapped her own forehead to make it clear what she was referring to, "Not that you could ever forget."

The lion ran a gloved finger along his scar as if remembering the day he received it before he shook his head, "Whatever..." He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. "Posting the two of us here was a waste of time. There are other things we could be doing. "

"Not necessarily," Xu reached into her jacket and slipped out a deck of playing cards, "We'll be having a busy day, I'm sure. In the mean time, why not join me in a match, CC King?"

A slight scowl came upon his face, "I should have never let Quistis talk me into participating in that side quest. With all of the card games I'm being challenged to on a daily basis, I can understand why she wanted to lose the title." _And then there's the Card Queen. I think she took those defeats a little too seriously..._

"Someone had to relieve her of the title." Xu chuckled, setting up the desk for their match. "She saw you as a worthy successor." She shuffled her deck to adhere to the 'Trabia' rules and laid it down on the table. "All of us did."

Squall felt his right eye twitch at this new found information, "You mean...it was all a set up?" _If this trend keeps up, Laguna will have me next in line to watch over Esther when he retires. I don't think I wanna get involved in politics anytime in the future. Being a military figure is more than enough..._

Xu nodded her head without hesitation, "You could put it that way. Spade gave you your first set of cards, Jack just _happened _to be next to the directory all the time to tell you about us, posing as a random student until you brushed up on your skills. Quistis even whispered strategies into your ear while you slept at night so that you'd be prepared to play no matter how high the challenges were stacked against you."

"...You were all stalking me?" His eyes narrowed for a moment. _That would explain how she popped up in my room in the middle of the night to challenge me. I never did ask her how she got inside...actually...it feels like everyone just walks into my room whenever they want to._

Xu giggled to herself, rather sinisterly one might add. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to do that." She gestured for him to sit across from her. The young commander leaned forward to pull away from his leaning post on the wall and joined her, the frown never leaving his face as he did. He did not like the way that last statement sounded.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Oh, nothing." Xu dismissed the subject, the cheerful expression on her lovely feature betraying none of her thoughts. "Before we begin, I'd like to inquire about something that has been picking at my thoughts."

Squall quirked an eyebrow suspiciously, but he nodded to her to give her the go ahead. "What's that?"

"Do you recall our night together in Winhill?" The elite instructor's voice was calm and casual, giving Squall the impression that she was not referring to anything particularly important. Although, all things considered, he could understand why she would bring something like that up. There were a few things about that Inn that really bothered him, including their host. There was something about her that was strangely familiar and he wasn't making references to how limited the character models were. The ways she spoke and gestured...he just couldn't shake off this feeling that there was something he wasn't taking notice of...like that chocobo with the black eye patch, staring at them through the window. You didn't see that everyday.

Putting his suspicions aside, Squall nodded his head, "Yeah, I do." There was a tense silence after his answer as Xu stared back at him without a response. "What's bothering you?"

"Why did you stop?" Xu's voice became uncharacteristically soft, the expression on her face unreadable.

Squall blinked. _...I might have missed something..._

_

* * *

_

**_... {THE} ..._**

_**~ Stalker's ] [Final Fantasy VIII] [ Log ~**_

* * *

_Before the time a woman finds herself there is always a period of uncertainty when feelings are indecipherable, hardships lay abound, and the journey for one's identity almost seems impossible to venture. Like all women even the mysterious Xu was a young girl once, with choices that frightened her and personal feelings that overwhelmed her in ways that she found herself unable to confront them. Even Xu had her regrets..._

Xu stood at the balcony of the Quad, leaning over the stone rail with her eyes gazing out beyond the horizon. The moon was rising and the evening stars speckled the twilight skies. _It's taking him a while to show up._

"Xu." As if to prove her thoughts untrue, Squall's voice called out to her from behind. She turned around and there he was dressed in his school uniform, the most presentable clothes he had in his wardrobe that he was confident in attending the gradation ball in. Xu imagined that walking in with the usual bomber jacket that he treasured so much would have been inappropriate, and besides that, she appreciated the gesture. The young lion was not one to care for others impression of him so for him to go out of his way to look nice meant a lot.

"What do you think?" She asked him showing off her new SeeD uniform. "Does it become me?"

The young man crossed his arm and snorted, "What kind of dumb question is that?"

Xu smiled at his response, knowing that his words were meant to be kind. "Thanks." She scratched her left cheek in embarrassment before asking, "What kept you anyway?"

Squall blinked. "Well...Quistis graduated, too." He told her awkwardly. "She caught me on my way here and forced a dance on me before I could get away from her."

Xue closed her eyes and nodded with a smile. She should have taken this into consideration when she asked him to meet her here. The moment that Quistis saw Squall her plans had been compromised. The blonde SeeD graduate was surely making her way to the balcony even as they spoke-

"Squall?" Quistis walked out onto the balcony at that moment, stopping in an abrupt manner when she realized that Xu was already there with him. "Oh, Xu." She quietly exclaimed her friend's name with an awkward pause that seemed out of place leaving her mouth. She looked between Squall and her fellow SeeD graduate as if to consider the distance between their bodies, a sudden nausea plaguing her for reasons that she dared not make public. "I hope that I'm not interrupting anything." She desperately hoped that wasn't the case.

"No." Xu lied to Quistis, glancing at Squall hoping that he didn't somehow catch on to the subtle shift in her mood, something that he had a surprising talent for. "I was actually hoping that you would show up."

Quistis swallowed, the sensation in her stomach heavier than before, "Were you?" She asked as she stepped closer to Xu, beside Squall. "What for?"

"Things are changing now, aren't they?" Xu asked, getting an understanding look from Squall, or at least he did a convincing job of making it seem so. The blonde Seed simply stared digesting her words slowly. "Quistis and I are SeeDs now and tomorrow we depart on our first mission, which means we'll be seeing less of each other from this day forward."

"I understand." Squall nodded. "I already figured that this would happen so I'm not particularly angry about it or anything."

"I..." Xu stopped herself, prevented the flow of emotions that threatened to burst from erupting forth. "I suppose there is no need for me to worry then. Squall Leonhart, I look forward to the next time that you and I are able to personally meet again. I know that when that day comes you will be a SeeD."

He nodded, "I'll be quick then." He told her. "If that will bring you two back."

"S...Squall?" Quistis nearly gasped at his words. They were so unexpected leaving his mouth, but it was understandable. After losing Ellone back at the orphanage he lost the will to forge bonds with others for a while, and here at the garden his attitude had been no different. Quistis and Xu were the only two people he bothered to call friends. With them gone he would only be left with his nemesis, Seifer Almasy and the two of them together were a very dangerous combination to be left alone for too long.

Xu stared him straight in the eyes as if to hold him to his word. "Then do so." Her tone came close to a command. "Farewell until then."

...

...

_I even doubted it that night when I slept in my room. Things change with time, memories of the past are buried beneath the days of the present and people never remain the same even if they themselves want to. It is a simple facet of life, one that is difficult to fight against. It was for that sole reason that I did not mind when Squall made no attempt to speak with me when we met on the combat sub headed for the war torn city of Dollet. The same reason that I did not feel any hurt when he did not bother to approach me for a dance on the night of the graduation ball when he had taken to the dance floor with a complete stranger. He had moved on in his life, and how dare I get angry at him for doing that when I did the exact same? I merely watched from the background as he surpassed expectations, broke limits, challenged the boundaries of fate and finally triumphed as a hero. I was fine with that..._

_...I was fine with that..._

_...And I commend myself for convincing myself of that for this long._

_

* * *

_

**_To Be Continued..._**

**

* * *

**

~WARK?~

_**-Stalker's Log, September 28th-**_

_**

* * *

**_

_The camera gets a close up of Shiva and Siren staring intensely at the readers, eyes blood shot with their hands folded upon the news table in front of them. Behind them in black bold letters are the words **"EXTRA MATERIAL" **__suspended in the air by two moogles flapping their wings steadily. The one holding the word **"MATERIAL" **looks like it's straining itself a little more than the other._

_**"**Hello all, and welcome to our post chapter show...kind of." Shiva greets the readers with a noticeable twitch in her left eye. She tries to play it off with a practiced smile, but it does nothing to hide the fact that she is clearly irritated by something. Siren's attempt to enhance the poor illusion with her own smile only makes the scene of the both of them sitting side by side appear all too intimidating. Rydia pops her head in from the door at the far left of the room, but she wisely decides to close the door quickly when the two lovely guardian forces glare at her upon hearing it creak open. _

_Shiva clears her throat and continues, "I am Shiva, and I'll be your host for the night."_

_"And..." Siren follows only to take a long pause as her eyes begin to gradually fall shut. She perks up when Shiva kicks her behind the table, yelping, "M-My name is Siren! Good evening to you all."_

_"Normally we would discuss the events of the chapter, however, since this chapter has been up since..." The ice goddess pauses to squint at the information on the half crumpled sheet of paper that she picks up from the table before she opens her mouth again, "...January of the past year, there's really nothing new to discuss that you all might not have already picked up on."_

_"Do you think this is as far as it goes for us, Shivy?" Siren asks her co-host in a depressed voice. "Could it be that we've reached the end of our rope for this series?"_

_Shiva looks to the winged guardian with an expression that was far from tolerant. This was likely a question that she had heard leave out of Siren's mouth more than once before, and she was tired of consoling her about her woes. "Siren..." The ice queen speaks to her in a calm voice. "...Don't start this again."_

_"I feel so outdated, Shivy..." Siren slumps over on the table, her cheek resting on the cold surface with no regard for how pitiable she appears in front of the camera. "I mean, you've appeared in every title of the series and where am I, huh?" Her eyes fix on Shiva almost resentfully. "When was the last time I made an appearance?"_

_Shiva waves her words away with a few quick flicks of her wrist, "Don't be so melodramatic, Siren! You haven't been forgotten. I mean, your last major title was, well..."_

_"Well?" Siren raises an eyebrow with a groan._

_"Um..." Shiva grumbles, unable to provide her with an answer. "Well...erm..."_

_"Final Fantasy VIII." They both say at the same time._

_"See...told ya." Siren mutters._

_"...Well at least you didn't transform into a motorcycle." Her words manage to console her fellow guardian somewhat, as a giggle appears to escape Siren's lips._

_"Ha...ha...and Odin was a horse."_

_"Yes..." Shiva concurs humorlessly, nodding her head as she crosses her arms._

_"And Bahamut was a jet plane." Siren barely keeps herself from laughing._

_**"SO?" **A thunderous voice is heard from outside the news room, a voice that sounds suspiciously like Bahamut's voice. **"At least I made sense!"**_

_"Haaah." Siren sighs pleasantly. "I feel better now."_

_"Yes..." Shiva growls, "I'm sure you do." A fake smile magically reappears on her face as she turns her attention back to the camera. "And that's all for tonight's show! We hope to see you soon!"_

_Siren nods at the camera with a halfhearted wave, "Um, yeah. Take care guys."

* * *

_

_**[ END TRANSMISSION ]**  
_


	14. That's where we were

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

_**FFVIII: The Stalker's Log**_

**_Chapter Thirteen: Allies_**

_By Traingham_

* * *

"Why did you _stop_?" Xu stood before Squall, a different individual from the mysterious and unreadable woman that he was used to dealing with on a daily basis. She was not smiling, or smirking, or grinning. Right now she stared at him with an expression that spoke of longing, an expression that he feared more than anything else in the world. He could accept seeing it on Rinoa's face, possibly even on Ellone's face, but Xu was the exception. She had to be the exception, because as long as she was able to provide him with the illusion, he was able to ignore the possibility that he abandoned so long ago.

_What did I miss? _Squall thought to himself, admittedly worried about the developing situation. "Xu..." He spoke her name calmly. "...What are you talking about? Why did I stop what?" _What happened in that room while I was sleeping? _

"You mean...you honestly don't recall doing anything that night?" Xu began to feel a creeping sense of embarrassment as her expression shifted from wistfulness to pure concern. Could it have actually been possible that what she experienced that night was nothing more than a full blown, glorified erotic dream? No, it simply couldn't have been, right? She had far too much confidence in herself to allow herself to come to such an absurd conclusion, but there was something about the way Squall was staring at her that made her feel a sliver of doubt, and for the first time in a long time Xu felt like she was going to blow steam out of her ears._ W-Well...even I would have to admit that I was too shocked to believe it myself, but a dream feeling that real...there's just no way! _

"Xu...you're actually beginning to worry me now." For once the young commander spoke his feelings to her, succeeding in making Xu question herself even further. Either he was telling her the flat out truth and everything that night was a product of her wild imagination, or he was a damn good liar. Still, even skilled liars had their fatal flaws, a nervous tick of some sort that would give them away to any meticulous observer, but Squall Leonhart exhibited none of the signs that she was trained to pick up on. He had absolutely nothing to hide...and it disappointed her.

"Well..." Xu sighed, closing her eyes out of embarrassment as she reached a hand back to scratch her head, "I can't say that I'm very pleased with how this conversation is turning out. It seems that I've been fretting the past few days over nothing."

Squall crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes irritatedly. "I'm still lost." _For once could she just come out and tell me what she wants from me? This is beginning to tax me..._

"If you want to know," She opened one of her eyes, "I thought you made a move on me."

"...What?"

"Yes, yes, I know." Xu told him calmly, seemingly indifferent about the fact that she just said that out loud. "It sounds absurd. Why would you even consider doing _anything_ with me when you have your little sweet heart, Heartily." For a moment Squall actually swore that Xu sounded a little spiteful. Had it not been for the fact that her facial expression indicated nothing of the sort, he might have gotten the faint impression that the elite instructor didn't favor his relationship with Rinoa Heartily very much. Then again, Xu never did tell him just how she felt about him being a couple with the resistance leader. Not that he expected her to offer her input, but now he was feeling curious.

"You make it sound as if I'm repulsed by you." Squall might have allowed that response to slip out without placing in much thought, and he himself might have caught on to that quickly as his words elicited an interesting response from Xu. He was sure that he'd only seen that particular smirk on Yuffie's lips before, and it never boded well for anyone, especially not him.

"What are you saying, Squall?" She questioned with a frightening hint of mischief in her voice. The fact that she actually bothered to address him by his first name as opposed to the pet title of _'Instructor Leonhart' _that had already become the expected words out of her mouth whenever she spoke to him made it worse than it should have been, or perhaps it was that he still didn't have a full grasp of how the situation was escalating. "Could it be that you find me attractive?"

"You're not ugly."

"I'm blushing, really." Xu teased him, understanding the meaning of words. "If it's all the same to you, you're not too homely yourself. Of course, what I really intend to tell you is that I'm attracted to you."

Squall flinched after hearing that, but he tactfully crossed his arms at the exact moment that he heard the words come out of her mouth so Xu couldn't be so sure about what she saw. "Why are you telling me this now, Xu?" _Wait, what the hell is she plotting, telling me this? She knows about me and Rinoa, just like everyone else does. _"It's too late for any of this." He felt his brows furrow as he continued, "You know that."

But his words didn't faze the elite instructor. She turned her head away from him and crossed her arms with a sigh. "Is it, really, Squall?"

"Yes, really." The lion responded, mentally preparing himself for whatever games she intended to play with him.

"But you two really aren't that much of a couple, are you?" Xu asked, looking to him again with her calculating eyes. "Aside from your occasional dates, and your late night engagements, you two barely see each other." Xu raised her head slightly, her chin taking on an imposing position. "And her midnight visits have been becoming infrequent as of late, haven't they?"

_The Hell? _For the first time Squall felt himself waver, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of trepidation. If he was going to come out of this conversation with his resolve intact he was going to have to try and force Xu into a stalemate, but she was beginning to get aggressive with the tide of her words. Talking never was his department of expertise. He swallowed as discreetly as possible and opened his mouth to respond. "How would you know that?" His eyes narrowed imperceptibly, but Xu stood her ground against his rising temper. "That's none of your business, Xu." _You're leaving me no choice, Xu. If you're going to try and push me this way, I can't promise you that I'll be nice about it._

"Perhaps you may be right. It isn't my business, but as a woman I can't help, but pay attention to these things." Xu took two steps toward him, inciting him to back away but he fought the urge out of his system before it could take. If he did that now he would only appeal to her ego, probably the worst thing he could do at this moment. "You're hard to read, Squall, sometimes even for me. I'm not sure if you've noticed the things that have been going in motion around you; perhaps you have and you've chosen to stay oblivious to avoid complications, but either way I urge you to be mindful. Hurt yourself, and you'll end up hurting plenty of women that keep you in their thoughts."

"Whatever. I can take care of myself." He quipped confidently, never having expected her to approach him even closer than before just as the words left his lips. Any less self control and he might have twisted her am on reflex when he saw her hand fly out to him as blindingly swift as a fish cutting through the surface of a pond.

This time the elite instructor felt the black lion flinch at her touch when she stroked his chin with her long fingers, smiling at the look of surprise that momentarily graced his handsome face. "I would not doubt it, Squall." That's when it hit him. His legs wobbled beneath him and Squall felt all of the tension in his muscles slip away, stealing away all the strength that kept him standing with it. The barely conscious commander took the only safety option that was available to him and leaned against his fellow instructor before he could fall backwards, his eyelids growing heavy with the unshakable weight of slumber that fell upon him. Xu encircled her arms around him to keep him close, and allowed his head to fall back so she could admire the peaceful expression on his sleeping face.

"Of course, you've never taken me into account, have you?" Xu whispered into his ear with a giggle before she let him go. The sleeping instructor fell back, but just as the back of his skull was about to make impact with the floor a burst of air pressure kept him afloat and wings sprouted from his back, flapping to lift him higher from the ground before disappearing in a puff of dissolving white feathers. Xu walked around him and grabbed him by the back of the collar, pulling him in the direction of one of the treatment rooms to get him a bed. When she had him properly positioned over one, she dispelled the float enchantment that she casted on him and Squall dropped onto the mattress without a stir. Xu took a seat beside him and leaned over, tucking her hair behind her ears so they wouldn't tickle the sleeping lion's nose.

"So this is the face of a sleeping lion." Xu mused, sitting upright again a she brought a hand to his chest, resting it there to feel it rise and fall along with the quiet rhythm of his soul. "So vulnerable, and yet I'm brought to wonder if this face is truly as it seems, or a mask to belie the true nature of this beast that slumbers before me." The elite instructor felt a thrumming within herself, the pulse of excitement that awoke as her calculating eyes warmed with a fire that licked at the reflection of the young man that shown within them. "And now we'll see which one of us is truly the prey, won't we?" Xu said breathily before she dipped into her lustful descent, but just as her lips were about to brush against Squall's, the faint hiss of the Infirmary door forced her to pull away and rise from the bed that had become an offering grounds to her desire. She did it with reluctance on her pert, but a smile graced her lips all the same as she stepped out of the treatment room, closing the curtains behind her with a discreet pull of her hand.

Quistis walked in hurriedly, turning her head left and right, likely in search of Xu and Squall. She stopped and sighed, placing a hand on her chest when she saw Xu approaching her. "Xu, the Garden just erupted in chaos like you wouldn't believe." She said breathlessly, perhaps from running the entire way to the infirmary from the cafeteria while avoiding the flying sporks and knives and flailing arms of panicking male students. She even came across a girl surrounded by a group of boys who were dodging punches from her as she cried out repeatedly, _"HIT ME YOU PANSIES! HIT ME!"_. She paused purposefully, stealing a glance over Xu's shoulder at the occupied treatment room. "By the way," She said, redirecting her attention to Xu with a faint look of suspicion gracing her lovely features, "...Where did Squall go? Wasn't he supposed to be here with you?"

Xu held a hand up to ease her as if to stroke away the bristles that stood within her winding mind, "Instructor Leonhart is resting."

The blonde instructor crossed her arms, her suspicion only growing at her close friend's reply. "Isn't he supposed to be standing in for the doctor? It's not like Squall to just ditch his responsibilities, especially if ordered personally by the headmaster." Her gaze sharpened upon Xu like a bowman drawing back the length of her arrow to release it into her adversary; said adversary being Xu in this case. "So tell me Xu, what is really going on?"

The elite instructor blinked at her for moment, looking genuinely hurt by the tone of her words, but Quistis wouldn't allow herself to be taken in by it. She was sure that it was nothing more than an act, even if her sense of distrust in her friend was partly fueled by the lingering feelings of jealousy that continued to remain with her after the events that took place in Winhill. That Xu was able to steal Squall away for the entire visit refused to leave her mind, so much in fact that her dreams were plagued with possibilities of what might have happened between the two on their night together in that shoddy inn. When she heard that the headmaster was having Squall and Xu work together in Dr. Kadowaki's place, well, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was losing a lot of ground to her best friend.

"Quisty, the suspicion in your eyes wound me deeply." Xu expressed the pain in her heart, pressing a hand to her left breast, but-

"Xu!" Quistis snapped, thoroughly annoyed by Xu's unwillingness to admit to her facade. Did she honestly take her for a fool? "What have you done, and why are you suddenly showing so much interest in him after all these years of neutrality?"

"I placed our dear lion under a sleeping charm." Xu answered flatly, skipping the theatrics that Quistis thought she would include in her confession and it left the blonde instructor frankly disappointed. "If you must know, I want to conduct an experiment to see whether the suspicions that gnaw at my mind hold water."

"You still haven't answered my second question." Quistis pressed her, brow knit with impatience. "Please, tell me what's going on, Xu."

"Do I really need to humor you with an answer, friend?" Xu replied with a question of her own. "I have much faith in your exceptional abilities to perceive the small details. Now, will you lead yourself into the folly of other fools throughout history and make an enemy of your closest friend for something so fickle and delicate as love?" Her question left Quistis at a momentary standstill, forced to stare down Xu as she worked to resolve the conflict that raged in her chest. Xu noticed and decided to help her through, "You know, Quisty, why think of this as a disadvantage? By acknowledging each other we open up the possibility of a temporary truce."

"Truce?" Quistis echoed her, the tension in her expression alleviating somewhat. "Why, Xu, you mean to form a partnership?"

"Ah, so you have noticed the others." The elite instructor exclaimed delightedly. "Then this makes it easier."

"...Even if we were to somehow limit their advances, you still seem to forget that Rinoa holds Squall's heart, regardless of how many suitresses we deflect in this partnership."

"Heartily isn't a problem." Xu assured her, waving a hand back and forth to emphasize how little the resistance princess concerned her. "She'll do the work of removing herself for us."

"Your confidence is as equally disturbing as it is uplifting." Quistis said, sounding very unclear of how Xu would come to that conclusion. "What is it you know that I'm so slow to realize?"

"A girl needs love_ and_ attention, Quistis, as you and I both know." She explained to her friend before gesturing behind her to the room that Squall was currently occupying. "While Squall has shown time and again that he is more than capable of _loving_ a woman, he hasn't been disciplined properly as far as giving attention to one. Personally, I find that we're to blame for that."

Quistis crossed her arms, nodding her head. "True, now that you mention it, Rinoa did make a complaint about something along those lines at the cafeteria earlier."

"Good to know." Xu smirked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Quistis' eyes swiveled slowly to regard the hand on her shoulder in consideration, but said nothing of what she might have been feeling at that moment. "By the way, since you're here you might as well fill in for the good man."

"I'm right ahead of you." The blonde instructor told her, taking a step back out of Xu's reach. The elite instructor allowed her hand to fall at her side with a soft chuckle of amusement as her friend continued, "Someone is going to have to assist you in keeping those rabid girls away from Squall. I have a feeling that his students will be making an appearance in due time."

"Of course, but before we do that I'd like for you to conduct an experiment with me."

"An experiment?" Quistis quirked a brow curiously. "Of what nature, if you don't mind me asking?"

"An intimate one." Xu answered, her voice cool and unreadable. "Instructor Leonhart will be our test subject for this experiment."

Quistis' lips twitched into a smirk quite similar to the one that graced Xu's lovely face for a fleeting moment, melting away to give way to a mask of indifference, however, the response that left them would contradict the coolness that exuded from her voice. "Then let's get on with it quickly."

* * *

_"Open your eyes, Squall Leonhart, legendary commander of the SeeD. I must warn you of a great danger that approaches you as you slumber away like the oblivious dolt that you truly are. Oh, what's this? Did that last comment resonate with some small iota of thought within your mind that possibly identifies with this word? Perhaps this is not an insult, but your true calling, or would that be too presumptuous for one such as myself?"_

"Shut up." Squall muttered to the antagonizing voice, sitting up and opening his eyes to face his rude awakener. It was at that point that he became vaguely aware of the fact that he was sitting in a long chair floating through the vast, dark space of nothingness. This should have bothered him, after all, the last time he found himself roaming through dark space he ended up triggering an origin paradox before being pitched into the brink of insanity. It did not. What did bother him was currently staring back at him with such a relaxed expression that he could swear it was making him sleepy just returning the stare.

"Hello again, Squall." Ultimecia greeted the black lion in casual fashion, sitting across from him in a crimson, cushioned long chair very much like the one he was seated in. Oddly enough, she was dressed in his signature attire as opposed to the dress with the plunging neckline that had been something of a minor distraction in the past when they engaged each other. Her silver hair wasn't styled to resemble those ridiculous horns either. She let it down, so to speak, allowing it to fall all around her like a gleaming mantle, spilling over her shoulders and flowing from the sides of her armchair. The only characteristics that remained of her original appearance was her facial markings, but with everything else missing it just seemed like an unusual addition to her lovely features. "I was hoping we'd never actually come to this point, but I'd count on my rotten luck to have you drop in just as I was starting to get cozy around here."

"Ultimecia?" Squall spoke her name in mild disbelief, leaning forward in his seat with squinted eyes before settling back and blinking. "What...the hell?"

The sorceress flashed him a genuine smile, perhaps out of appreciation for his cool reaction. "Yes, it's me, the sorceress you murdered. So nice of you to remember my name."

"Wait a second, are we actually having this conversation?" Now he was fully awake...somehow.

"Yeeeaaaah, I knooooow." The time mistress sang in a mocking voice, twiddling her fingers at him playfully. "Trippy, isn't it?"

Squall's expression relaxed, settling back into its usual mask. "But why are you so...relaxed about this?"

Ultimecia glanced aside, seemingly amused by his question because a small mischievous grin made its way across her lips. "Oh, you're referring to this abnormally relaxed disposition of mine?" She looked to him again. "I had to go through a long series of steps to attain this state of serenity. Call it a stepping stone down my long road of metaphysical enlightenment."

The young commander decided not to inquire any further about it, but something was still bothering him. "So...why are you wearing my clothes?" His question had the sorceress take a moment to pause and admire herself.

Ultimecia shrugged after staring back at him in the midst of a long silence. "This is all you had lying around for me to wear." She took note of the confused expression on his face. "You haven't realized it yet." She pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh before explaining the situation to him. "This place," She spread her arms out and gestured to the vast, inky darkness that surrounded them, "Is the deepest part of your subconsciousness. It's the only place you and I can meet because there's a small rift..." She stopped mid-sentence to stare out into the void before pointing to a particular spot that Squall couldn't pin point for the life of him, "Riiiiight there. Do you see it?" She asked, still pointing at the spot.

"No." Squall answered honestly, shaking his head.

"Right there is the passage to your soul. It's where I hang around while you go about your business in the real world."

"You're hanging around...in my soul?" The lion sounded none too comfortable hearing that his old enemy was inside of him. "Why?"

"Are you ready for this?" Ultimecia asked with a wide grin. "Because it blew me away the first time I heard."

Squall brought his palm to his forehead, lowering it with an impatient growl. "Just tell me already."

"We're soul mates."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, see, we're connected because our souls are intricately linked by some threads that span across time, space, all of that stuff." She explained, the grin on her face splitting into something fearsome. "Which means I'm stuck as your spiritual advisor until you eventually die and reunite with me."

"You're kidding me."

"Noooo, nooooo, nooooo. I'm nooooooot." Ultimecia purred almost perversely. "Irony, my dear idiot of a commander, because by you killing me you turned everything on its head. See, you're supposed to be my spiritual advisor, but since I died first, well, you know how it goes." The time mistress cackled, settling down with a long sigh. "I could have really used someone like you, growing up."

"Can I switch with someone else?"

"Actually, I'm working together with someone else. She's supposed to fill in for me whenever I decide to go AWOL." She tapped her chin a few times. "Called herself Thunderbolt, I think." She narrowed her eyes, lost in deep thought. "Or was it Lightning?"

"You mean, you're planning to just up and go at some point?"

Ultimecia shrugged, answering offhandedly, "Could happen."

"...Alright." Squall shrugged.

"Good to know you're so understanding, dear _soul mate._"

"Don't call me that." Squall shook away the chills that ran up his...spiritual spine. "Anyway, if you're my spiritual advisor, or whatever, you should have some sort of profound advise for me, right? Some kind of warning?"

"Oh, right." She sat up straight, clearing her voice to speak, and locked eyes with him seriously. "_Beware, Black Lion, of the lionesses that stalk you from the shadows." _She relaxed in her seat again, smiling smugly to herself. "How was that?"

Squall let go of the breath he was holding, boredom written across his face. "Is that all?"

For some reason the sorceress suddenly appeared concerned. "Oh dear."

"What?"

"I did it wrong." She confessed, biting her lip.

Squall quirked a brow. "You got the warning wrong, you mean?"

"Yes...you see, that was supposed to end the meeting." She told him, massaging the back of her neck. "But we're still here, so I must have gotten it wrong." She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose again, something that appeared to be a habit she exercised whenever something wasn't going well for her. "My rotten luck."

"So give it another shot." Squall goaded her on with a gesture of his hand. "I can't get out of here until then, right?"

"Fine." Ultimecia nodded. "Let's try this," She put on her game face, leaning forward in her chair, "_Beware, Black Lion, of the lily that drinks greedily of your misfortune."_

"What is that even supposed to mea-"

"Dammit, wrong again." The woman cursed, but this time she looked determined. _"Beware, Black Lion, of the fox that hides behind a platonic smile!" _She was pretty sure that she nailed it that time, but for some reason Squall was still there sitting across from her with an annoyed look on his face. _"Erm, BEWARE, BLACK LION! The Goddess of harmony preys upon you!"_

"Huh?" Squall frowned. "Are you just throwing stuff out there now?"

_"FUCK IT!"_ The sorceress finally cried out, slipping out of her state of sereneness for just a moment before slipping back as quickly as she left. "Ok, Ok...How about you just tell me what's been going on in your life?" She suggested gently, crossing her legs. "Been to any concerts lately?"

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

_Elite instructor Xu...surely you must know, this is the beginning of a war._

_You've gotten too close to him, and that will not do._

**_-__Stalker's Log, September 28th__-_**

* * *

_The camera gets a close up of Shiva and Siren sitting side by side at a reporters table with professionally matched smiles and folded hands. Siren, for her part, is wearing shades._

___"Welcome to the post chapter section." _Shiva greets. _"I am Shiva, and I'll be your host for the night."_

___"And I am Siren." Siren follows. "Also a host."_

___"And frankly," They both say in unison, "I'm shocked that I'm speaking to you."_

___"Did you see this coming?" Shiva asks Siren._

_Siren waves her hand back and forth. "Honestly, I thought we stopped existing altogether."_

_"So, anyway..." Shiva focuses her attention on the camera again. "There you have it, another chapter released, and we've finally made some actual progress."_

_"Xu is officially Fuu's rival?" Siren asks her partner._

_"Not sure. I thought Aerith was taking that part for herself."_

_"What's the deal with that girl anyway?"_

_"Don't know."_

_"So are we expected to just sit here and wait for the next chapter to find out?" Siren grumbles. "Is that next chapter going to be coming out anytime soon?"_

_"Siren, don't start-"_

_"Am I doomed to curl up in the corner, WONDERING IF THIS ISN'T JUST THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER YEAR OF NOTHINGNESS?"_

_"The pills, Siren!" Shiva point to something behind the desk. "Take the pills-you know, oh Hyne-" The ice goddess reaches behind the desk and pulls out a small canister before popping it open and shaking out two capsules. She grabs ahold of the hysterical Siren and forces her mouth open with one hand, dropping the pills in her mouth with the other. "Swallow, Siren."_

_Siren does as Shiva tells her and remains completely still._

_"Siren?"_

_Siren does not respond._

_"Well..." Shiva clicks her tongue. "Those kicked in faster than they did last time." She snaps her finger in front of Siren's face in search of a response._

_Siren twitches and her mouth falls open, drool hanging off the side of her bottom lip in a thin string before snapping and dripping on the surface of the table. Her partner flinches back in horror before turning her head towards the camera very slowly._

_"...Ifrit, end transmission." Shiva tells the camera man in a nervous voice._

**_"WHAT?"_**

_"End the transmission!" She cries out._

_Siren regain consciousness just as Ifrit gets the word. "Hey, Shiva, what happe-"_

* * *

_**[ END TRANSMISSION ]**_


	15. Infection

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters..._

_**FFVIII: The Stalker's Log**_

**_Chapter Fourteen: Infiltrate and Secure!_**

_By Traingham_

* * *

What approached the infirmary shortly after Xu and Quistis had formed their partnership was nothing short of a zombie apocalypse the likes of which both women had never seen, which wasn't entirely a play of words alone. Some female students had been brought into the room by the mysterious faculty members of the garden, or rather dragged in, since there was a lot of kicking and snarling involved. That was to say that somehow they'd been afflicted with the _zombie_ ailment between the time of Cid's announcement and the present time. It was a freakish sight, and strangely enough the eyes of those zombified girls had become instantly glued in the direction of Squall's sleeping quarters the moment they had been brought in much as if they were drawn by the very presence of his flesh, concealed behind the curtains that hid him from their view.

"Hold her down!" Quistis cried out to Xu when one of the afflicted broke free from a faculty member's grasp like a demon possessed. The undead girl made a bee line sprint for Squall's room with beast-like desperation in her movements, but the elite instructor was on her before she could get close enough to tear down the curtain, tackling her through the mid-section and bringing her down like a hunting lioness capturing a gazelle.

"I've got her." Xu informed her friend when she had gained full restraint over the struggling ghoul, folding its hands securely behind its back. "Administer the holy water, if you would? This girl's strength is beginning to wear me to the point that I may stop being gentle with her."

Quistis knelt down beside them and uncorked a vial of the stuff before reaching down with one hand to grab ahold of the undead girl's head and keep it steady so she could carry out the baptism. "I'm going to remember to keep an eye on this one." The blonde instructor noted aloud with a hiss of annoyance. "Deranged girl."

Xu made a little smirk, staring down at the reverting girl with a gleam of respect in her calculating eyes. "You must admire her boldness, Quisty. After all, is it not the eventual desire of every lover to devour the object of their darkest passions?" Her question earned her a strange look from the lovely Trepe who responded coolly, "I get the impression that she was being a little too literal in this particular ca___–" _She cut short mid-sentence, the look in Xu's eyes unsettling her to no end. "Hynes sake, Xu, would you stop staring at me like that?"

"I apologize." Xu giggled, smiling gently, yet for some reason Quistis couldn't help but detect something sinister about it. "You're surprisingly pure, is all."

The zombies that were brought in had been manageable enough (Quistis' methods had become increasingly aggressive with each patient brought into the infirmary, Xu made note) although there had been increasing reports of zombie sightings with the garden. Apparently there had been an outbreak from the Quad and it was only getting worse. That became a concern only made even worse when the 'Berserkers' had begun their rampage.

"Where is he?" Quistis and Xu looked up at each other from the latest KO'd student when they heard a feral cry come from the entrance. The blonde instructor quietly told Xu to handle the unconscious patient lying on the bed while she left to investigate the source of the ruckus.

"Oh, I see..." She nodded to herself with an exasperated sigh when she spotted the female student at the desk, burning with a fiery aura that blazed from her body. "It's a fucking berserker."

The berserk patient turned a scathing gaze upon Quistis when she heard her speak. The accusation came from her mouth with a frightening immediacy, "You're hiding him, aren't you?"

Quistis slowly backed into a shelf of medical supplied, eying a box of tranquilizers. "And what if I did?" She spurred the unstable young woman, reaching behind her back out of the girl's view to take one of the syringes.

"Tell me where the commander is!" The female berserker walked around the desk with a menacing gait before roaring, "Tell me now, dammit!" Her walk shot forward into a full out charge without warning. She reached out from Quistis when the blonde instructor was within arms reach, but Quistis snatched at the wrist of the incoming grab, got around her and kicked her leg in to get her down on one knee. "Ugh?" The girl looked up at Quistis just as she injected her with the tranquilizer. It was over fairly quickly.

"I hope there aren't more of you." Quistis pulled back the empty syringe and let go of the girl without giving it much thought. She cringed when her ears picked up the dull thud of the girl's face meeting the unforgiving floor. "S-Sorry about that."

"Berserker's now, eh?" Xu pushed through the curtains of the treatment room to step out. "This is beginning to get interesting, hm?"

"Speak for your own interests, Xu." Quistis quipped with a scowl, adjusting her left glove with a tight pull. "When they start swarming the place our own interests will be the least of our concerns."

Xu nodded before glancing at Squall's room, "Yes. I imagine Squall will be in for a rude awakening if a berserker managed to get their hands on him." A devious smirk snaked across her lips. "Or perhaps he will be the one to overcome them."

Quistis looked disturbed for her part, although she couldn't keep her hand from wandering toward her neck to stroke a visible red mark. "I dare not imagine what it is you're driving at with that vague comment."

The elite instructor shrugged. "Lust is a force that takes shape according to circumstance. Quisty, as one who has been afflicted with the 'Berserker' ailment once before, I can tell you just how liberating it is." Xu's eyes swiveled to rest upon Squal's room once again, a hint of longing present within those calculating orbs. "An interesting fetish I've come across. Should Hyne's fortune smile upon me I shall revel in the rewards of its exploration."

"Switch it off, Xu." The blonde instructor told her friend with another sigh, waving her hand about. "I'd like to spare myself the horrors of your fantasies."

"Meanwhile, we should be on alert for the inevitable synthesis of our afflicted patients."

The lovely Trepe pinched the bridge of her nose with a slow bow of her head, knowing full well what Xu was telling her. "Don't tempt it, old friend. Just don't."

...

...

Selphie Tlmitt left the dorm hall to the sounds of utter chaos. She'd been in her own room changing out of her unused _(Thanks to an absent lion, that would remain unaddressed.) _jog suit when she heard high pitched screams come from the other side of her door. Upon coming out the door to investigate the cause of the shrieks of horror she founded upon four young men with their backs pressed against the wall as female students stalked through the halls like blood thirst hunters in search of a prized quarry. The scene might have been comical had it not been for the fact that something was truly amiss about the whole thing. The Trabian set her sights on the young men with a quick question of, "What did I miss, guys?"

"Well, since you asked, IT'S A ZOMBIE OUTBREAK!" One of the more composed of the gentleman answered her, his eyes darting from side to side. "Started in the cafeteria from what I heard."

"They're out of control!" Another of the male students cried out like a man on the edge. "We're running out of holy waters to counteract the zombification, and the guy from the training center won't appear to open shop!"

"And where's the commander?" Selphie inquired calmly, perhaps a little too concerned over Squall's current doings to be bothered by the startling events that were taking place around her. "He's aware of the situation, isn't he?"

"The last I heard of him he was filling in for___–"_

A trash receptacle was knocked over to the floor down the end of the hall, drawing their attention to a young woman that was stumbling toward them with her head bowed, rocking loosely with each step she took. A few more girls came stumbling around the corner she came around, following her lead like a troop of soldiers, though their formation could hardly be considered organized.

"We need to get moving! They're closing in on us!"

"But what do they want from us? I thought they were coming after the commander!"

The look in Selphie's eyes sharpened at that last bit, "They're after Squall?" he reached over to the nearest guy and pulled him to her, glowering down at him in the most frightening way. "What for, huh?"

"To get medical treatment; I don't know!" The startled student blurted out, alternating looks between her and the approaching mob of the undead. "Oh, Hyne! Could we move along now?" Selphie withdrew her hand.

She looked to the exit, "So he's at the infirmary, right?"

"I'd think so!"

Receiving her answer, Selphie dashed off with a quick "Thanks!" She paid no heed to the distressed cries for her to hold on as she made it out into the main area. The sight that filled her eyes was actually kind of bizarre, more so than she was used to anyway. Aside from the running boy being chased by a line of snarling women___–_

"Zombies?" The yellow clad Trabian gasped, watching on as male students did their best to control the horde of undead girls that were attempting to break through their lines to cross the bridge to the infirmary. "Berserkers?" Which brought her attention to the screaming young men that were being brutally assaulted by the unrelenting yanderes also trying to break through the barricade of hapless male students. "Zombified berserkers?" And finally the most dangerous of the bunch that were attacking indiscriminately at the others like a professionally done reenactment of that one survival horror that kept her former dorm mate up through the nights at Trabia Garden. So seeing all of this___– _ "Looks pretty serious." The messenger girl remarked.

"Guys!" A commanding voice somehow managed to stand out from the screams and growls that polluted the air noise. Selphie turned her attention to the main elevator to see a student standing at the top of the stairs surrounded by a few other unfamiliar faces. "The time has come for us to take center stage!" Vaan declared in a most dramatic fashion, raising a fist to the air as a breeze from no readily identifiable source billowed his unbuttoned blazer to seemingly enhance his presence.

Cid (_Highwind at the moment, judging by his headband) _worked out a kink in his neck before speaking around the unlit cigarette that hung from his lower lip. "Our instructor needs someone to bail his ass, eh? Why not, I'm game boys."

Sora struck an aggressive stance, bending slightly at the knees with both hands held out in front of his chest, clenched into fists. "If Leon's in trouble you can bet that I'll help!"

Setzer crossed his arms and smirked wryly, one eye closed. "Hey, why not? We haven't had the luxury of screen time lately."

Rude adjusted his shades and tightened his gloves. "I've got the boss covered."

Auron snorted, winding his unslung arm in slow circles. "The calm life just doesn't suit our kind, it seems."

"And now that we've all dropped our introductory lines, "Vann pointed out to the mass of chaos crowding the infirmary bridge, "On to the main event!" And the bare chested White Seed cadet let out a battle cry before leading his fellow cadets toward the heart of pandemonium, but enough of them, let us return our attention to Selphie Tilmitt___–_

_"Seriously?"_

Indeed, quite seriously...

Selphie looked away from the infirmary, seeing no feasible options to take in getting through without risking a direct conflict. "But how else would I be able to get in there, unless I cleared them all away with an explosive, or something?"

~_"Who's taking the drop lines,_ dammit?" The voice of an angry faculty member was heard amidst the cacophony of screams.

Selphie made a sprint for the cafeteria to try and find a sounding board for her idea, passing another observer in her run that was casually sitting on one of the benches.

Fuujin stood without a word, staring after the Trabian until she vanished from her sight. "OUTSIDE." The eye-patched beauty said to no one in particular. _I'll experience the least amount of possible resistance by taking an unorthodox approach, surely. _She turned away from the cafeteria to walk opposite of the infirmary and stealthily made her way up the steps to the main elevator. Those zombified berserkers seemed to favor other females as their targets for some reason or another. One of them happened to spot her as she pressed the button to go up and dropped the unconscious young man she was violently shaking to come sprinting in her direction like an enraged torama.

"SERIOUSLY?" Fuujin couldn't help, but wonder why her luck was bringing her such misfortune today. She started tapping the up button vigorously as if to boost the elevator. _Come on you damn hunk of metal. _She looked over her shoulder to see the feral female student stalking up the stairs after her with a crazed look in her eyes. _Oh Hyne, who knew holy waters were actually worth purchasing?_ "SLOW!" She jabbed an open hand in her would be assailant's direction and the girl's movements, including the waving motions of her clothes, immediately slowed to a comically sluggish pace.

Stepping out of the elevator onto the second floor, Fuujin halted herself before proceeding across the bridge to the curving classroom hallway. After witnessing the chaos downstairs something about the atmosphere up here felt just a little too calm to be natural, especially true when she considered the fact that she wasn't the only student within the garden who would actively take advantage of the mess to put their own plans for reaching the lion in motion. Surely her own operation was coinciding with someone else's schemes, so why hadn't she encountered any of the usual suspects on the way up? The silence that pervaded the entire floor began to feel even more sinister the longer her scheming mind tried to make sense of it...

Fuujin turned her uncovered right eye directly to the passageway ahead of her when the silence was broken by the haunting melody of _"Loss of Me"_. Goosebumps rose across her forearms when a figure stepped into view; Beatrix clad in a french maid attire, turning her uncovered left eye upon her with arms crossed like a huntress spotting her prey. "Taking the unorthodox approach, I presume?"

Fuujin stood on alert, narrowing her right eye imperceptibly. "YOU."

"Hrm." The Alexandrian maid frowned, narrowing her left eye, "But you don't seem to have it with you."

"WHAT?" The stalker quirked a brow.

"The means to scale down to the infirmary through the classroom window." Beatrix explained. "I see. So you aren't the person I was lying in wait for."

"AMBUSH?"

"For the one who got ahold of the _'key item'_ that would allow one access to mi'lord's treatment room, so that I may steal him away in his slumber." She went on, uncrossing one arm to gesture. "Unfortunately we're limited to one of those. Searching the supply box more than once yielded the same unresponsive message___–"_

___**...**_

___**[** Beatrix approaches the supply box of drop cables in the supply room and inspects it. **]**_

___**[ ~**This box is empty. DROP LINE, has already been taken.**~ ]**_

___**...**_

"–therefore I intended to mug the individual responsible for reaping the item before I could do so myself." The maid laid out her plan after the intruding scene had faded away.

___"PLAYING DIRTY."_

"Your words barely faze me, considering your intentions were the same upon first seeing me."

"...FINE." Fuujin's body language shifted to an aggressive stance, prompting Beatrix to respond in kind, cutting the music to _"FFIX Battle 2" _as the atmosphere became heavy between the two women. The Alexandrian made quirked a brow when the text style in Fuujin's grey box dramatically changed as she spoke, "_Then I'll take you down before my delivery girl arrives._" The disciplinary member shot forward toward Beatrix in a fashion far too similar to the berserkers downstairs for the maid to tell the difference, and yet Fuujin couldn't help but be bothered by how calm the other girl was, standing still as she came in aproaching fast. Her concerns were rewarded soon enough when Beatrix reached back behind her back with a sight defying swiftness, whipping around simultaneously to bring down a materializing broom upon Fuujin's head the same way a knight would a broadsword.

"Hmph!" Fuujin felt the air pressure over her head fall heavy when the end of the broom came down and tucked into a roll, ending up behind the Alexandrian maid as her makeshift sword struck the ground and rising up to whip her heel at the back of her head with a roundhouse while she still open for a retaliation. Beatrix dropped down under the slicing heel, whipping around with an diagonal slash of her broom that came rising from below to strike the stalker's head, but Fuujin leaned back reflexively just enough to get the brushing feeling of the broom bristles upon her chin before jumping back to put a distance between her and the Alexandrian maid. The test of dexterity was over, it would have seemed. With the opening blows exchanged and dodged it was now time to lay the other flat before the fight progressed too long.

"_AERO." _Fuujin waved both of her hands in an elegant circular motion before thrusting them forth to project an orb of razor winds in Beatrix's general direction. It was obliterated from existence with a single slash from the maid, surprising her by the lack of effort it took on the other girl's part before she countered with a dash forward. Beatrix tried to end Fuujin with an over the shoulder strike, but the broom head stopped short a few centimeters from Fuujin's forehead, held completely still by a quick save of her palms clapping together around the steel broom handle. Beatrix pushed forward, backing the white haired woman into the wall behind her.

The maid glanced at Fuujin's hands, cracking a small smirk when she saw how steady the disciplinary member's hands remained under the force of her might. "You had Shirahadori equipped as a reaction skill?" She pressed down harder upon Fuujin with a husky whisper to her face, "Your preparation is noteworthy."

_"Do not patronize me with your speech craft, maid."_ Fuujin pressed the bottom of her foot against her adversary's stomach and kicked her away, drawing her chakram, gripping it in a fist and drawing toward the staggering Beatrix to strike her chest with it. The maid saw her coming and raised her broom to parry the vicious strike, knocking Fuujin's chakram armed fist aside with the steel handle of the broom and responding by coming down on one knee, swinging down with the motion to strike the top of her skull with the broom head. With Fuujin bent over by the connecting strike, Beatrix got off her knee and rose up, striking her chin upward in a reverse motion with the other end of the broom.

_"Ugh!" _Fuujin's head was thrown back by the hit and she almost lost her balance, staggering back into the wall again. She wiped at the trickle of blood from her busted lip with the sleeve of her blue shirt before turning her head back at Beatrix coolly. _"You've earned my recognition."_

"Pity." Beatrix quipped. "For it is not yours that I desire."

_"HYAA!" _Fuujin sent her blade missile flying at the Alexandrian maid without warning, running forward to meet her when Beatrix took the bait, parrying the flying chakram aside with her broom. Fuujin gripped the handle of Beatrix's broom with both hands when she was within reach and pulled down hard, bringing the other girl to bend forward. _"HA!" _Fuujin brought up a knee to crack against Beatrix's chin, raised the stunned maid to an upright position to twist her around while holding the broom so that she had it tightly hooked along her upper body from behind , and brought her back down to the floor with a suplex. Beatrix saw stars explode before her vision returned to her.

**_...*DING*..._**

...And that's when the two female gladiators heard the elevator arrive.

Fuujin rolled out of the suplex position to get back to her feet to see who arrived, and lo and behold___–_

"KISIRAGI." The lovely stalker greeted the mischievous kunoichi when she stepped out of the elevator, drop cable wrapped along her shoulder.

Yuffie flinched at the sight of her old partner, but the surprise on her face was quickly replaced with her trademark grin. "Hey, Fuu." The plucky ninja greeted in a friendly tone, though her underlying feelings for the eye patched SeeD cadet were anything but after what happened at that Winhill inn. "I was hoping you'd already been knocked silly by those crazies down there, but _hey_, here you are."

_"And here you are." _Fuujin said with a sinister look in her eye.

"Yes." Beatrix's voice came from behind the disciplinary member, informing her of her quick recovery. "Here you are, Yuffie."

"Nyuk nyuk." Yuffie chuckled. "Yeah...here I am."

* * *

**_... {THE} ..._**

_**~ Stalker's ] [Final Fantasy VIII] [ Log ~**_

* * *

_**[** Meanwhile, in the darkest depths of Squall Leonhart's subconsciousness **]**_

"So explain this to me." Squall told the sorceress of matching attire, sitting across from him with a relaxed smirk that appeared to mock him. He had to admit, there was something about seeing Ultimecia wearing his clothes, _his trademark bomber jacket particularly_, that seriously disturbed him. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she made the jacket look better than he ever could, but little details, really. On with the question, "You and me are soul mates, but there's another person who has access to my soul? A woman named...Thunder?"

"Lightning." The time mistress corrected for him quickly. "And yeah, she's a soul mate too." Her newest claim made the black lion simply stare. "It's not as difficult to understand as you're making it out to be."

"Break it down for me, then." The young commander challenged her irritably, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Ultimecia leaned back, folding her hands on her lap. "It's all about compatibility, really." She told him in her laid back manner, now crossing one leg over the other before resting her folded hands upon her lap again. "Alright–" She averted her eyes, "To be honest I don't understand all of the details myself, but all of us are brought together in the afterlife to embark on a journey. Some kind of _crystal campaign_, or something. Like a really long pilgrimage of sorts."

That didn't sound right. "All of us?" Squall quirked a brow at that sly little throw in.

"There's a handful of others who are compatible with you, and vice versa, but most of them are far too busy to make conversation with anybody." The sorceress rolled her eyes with a knowing smirk. "You know, main character responsibilities and such."

"Main characters?"

"Technically you can visit them the same way I'm here meeting with you. It's supposedly very difficult to do while you're still alive; you know, caught within the mortal coil and all of that." Ultimecia explained with a lazy giggle. "Takes a lot of practice and an open mind. Not particularly sure how well you meet the prerequisites as far as that last one is concerned, mister lion."

"That aside," Squall hurriedly got off the subject before she could go off on another explanation. "What makes you and me so compatible to begin with?" His question brought up a rather fine point given how little time he actually spent with Ultimecia in the past, their different walks of life, their positions in the grand scheme that fate had planned for them; all things that the sorceress in question didn't appear to be very concerned about from the looks of the lopsided grin on her lovely face. Then again, her face seemed to be stuck that way.

"Good question." The mysterious witch said melodically, bringing a slight twitch to Squall's brow. "I used to wonder that myself sometimes, but nothing really fazes me anymore. Life will give you gysahl greens; you just need to enjoy the ride."

"Whatever, then." The commander closed his eyes for a time before opening them again when a particular thought struck him. "Tell me something." His request earned him a ready nod from his soul diving companion. "What do you know about the night I spent at that Winhill inn?" His manner in inquiring was hesitant, as if he didn't care to know the details, but had to.

"Oh?" Ultimecia's lazy grin almost appeared malevolent at the moment, though it could have just been Squall's mind suggesting it. Her next words made him wonder, though. "You'd like to know what happened between you and Xu?"

"Huh..." Squall's heart may have skipped a beat at hearing that. "Then...something _did_ happen? I made a move on her?"

"You did everything short of going all the way from what I'm reading here." And yes, the sorceress just happened to be reading from a small, crimson journal of sorts, adjusting a pair of rectangular lensed reading glasses that sat on the bridge of her nose. "You weren't conscious at the time that it happened, so don't beat yourself up over it."

That was bizarre. "...What's the reasoning behind that?" The lion almost appeared stark white, asking that question. "How the hell is that even logically possible?"

"Weeeell..." The small book in her hand went poof, along with her reading glasses. She turned to her left, waving her hand over the empty space to bring up a status screen. Squall looked on quietly at the materialized display showing a hand drawn portrait of himself sporting a smoldering expression floating over a list of various stat parameters, junctioned guardian forces, magic, and mastered abilities. "Let's have a look, hm?" She navigated through the list via the assistance of a small white gloved hand, and clicked her tongue when she came across something.

"What?" Squall moved to the edge of his seat. "Did you find something?"

"Here's your problem." Ultimecia informed him, pointing to a sketchy title in the frighteningly long list of abilities. "You mastered a passive ability called _"Ero Diety"_ at nine hundred-ninety nine ABP, on that becomes active only when the possessor is in a deep sleep."

Squall's response was a flat, "What."

"This ability became innate, sooo..." She trailed off, closing the stat menu before finishing. "Nothing we can do about it, Mr. Freelancer." She allowed a sinister giggle to let slip at his expense.

"How did I even come across such a ridiculous thing?" He asked her incredulously, running his hands through his hair in a surprisingly palpable display of emotion on his part. "And what the heck is a freelancer?"

"Question one; that'll require extensive research on my part, something I don't intend to do for free." The sorceress told him with a cross of her arms. "Second question; a little inside joke that I doubt you could appreciate, humorless lout." And so a staring contest ensued between the two former fated enemies, though with Ultimecia's seemingly permanently enduring mellowness it looked far less dramatic that it clearly should have been, typing it out.

"What do you want?" The lion asked, his tone going business like on her. "I ask because I have no experience appeasing dead women."

"I could teach you more than your inexperienced mind could handle, boy." Ultimecia giggled, a smile crossing her wanton lips. "But what I really want is something else."

"That being?"

"Well..." The sorceress trailed off again, looking aside with a widening grin.

_**[ **Returning to the face off **]**_

Yuffie Kisiragi wondered just how convincing the grin on her face appeared as she stared down Fuujin and Beatrix simultaneously, all without breaking into a sweat, which was a feat very few could pull off considering that Fuujin had already shown her once before the lengths of her determination in her pursuit for claim over Squall Leonhart. As for Beatrix; well, growing up with that loon in mother Branford's orphanage had her well informed on what she was getting herself into going up against her.

"So what are you girls gonna do?" The thief challenged them, one hand protectively clutching the cable rolled over her shoulder. "Share the rewards after snatching it off my beaten body?"

"_Certainly not_–NOT HAPPENING." Beatrix and Fuujin voiced their opinions on that possibility ever occurring, and when that was brought back to the forefront of their concerns both of them exchanged glares and separated from each other , standing divided once again.

_And once divided, they become far easier to conquer. _The wicked Yuffie thought triumphantly. "This makes things fairly interesting then. Nyuk, nyuk." The ninja placed a hand on her hip while cocking it to the side with narrowed eyes. The widening grin wasn't lost on Beatrix so much as it was on Fuujin. "How do we settle this?"

"With these numbers a contest of strength would put us at a disadvantage." The maid reasoned sagely, earning her a raise of the eyebrow from Fuujin.

"REASON?" Fuujin inquired.

"Whaddya mean?" Yuffie shot at her a little to quickly, the grin faltering just a bit. _Now way. How the heck did she see past it?_

"Did you think that your schemes could elude the powers of my '_ATE'_, Yuffie?" Beatrix turned a sharp eyes upon the visibly unsettled kunoichi, getting a flinch from her.

"_ATE?_" Not familiar with the term, Fuujin blinked.

"Her _Active Time Events_." The ninja clarified for the lovely stalker, her expression growing grim at the development. "I completely forgot about it."

"EXPLAIN." She requested, not comfortable at all with being kept out of the loop.

Beatrix generously provided. "It allows me a glimpse into the events taking place in real time, like how Aya just moved the sight of her rifle scope to line up with your temple."

"WHAT?" Fuujin tensed.

"Shoot!" Yuffie snapped as she kicked at the ground, something that made the eye patched woman roll to the side from reflex given the circumstances. "I thought those ATEs were supposed to be random for you."

"No longer." Beatrix informed the ninja much to her building panic. "I've mastered the subject of my visions. My constant monitoring of lord Leonhart's activities has assisted me with accomplishing that much."

Yuffie gasped. "You mean, you've been keeping your ATEs exclusive to our instructor?" Realizing what that meant, she sneered. "Lucky girl."

"I cannot view them at will, mind you but whenever they are available to me I can access whatever I desire to see at my leisure." The maid readied her broom. "Now, we appear to have found ourselves in quite the predicament. Aya Brea holds the cards in this game, it would seem."

"You mean, I do–_**SHPYUUN–**_Huh?" Yuffie's jaw fell open in dull horror when she heard a rifle shot. *_**WHAP* **_And fell to the floor, knocked out by a stun bullet enchantment. The ninja stared at her two fellow stalkers with shock, unable to speak from the effects of the bullet enchantment, but fully capable of moving her eyes. The look on the girl's face could only be described as _"Hyne dammit, I suck at picking partners"._

Beatrix and Fuujin exchanged a panicked glance and dove for Yuffie to take the drop cable, but–_**SPYUUUUUN**_–another stun bullet came shrieking in their direction.

"Dammit." Beatrix felt her entire body go rigid with the enchantment, plopping upon Yuffie's legs helplessly. Fuujin fell upon the stunned ninja, and realizing that she was unaffected, wasted no time in proceeding to extract the cable wrapped around Yuffie's shoulder. The entire time she kept on glancing to the side, adrenaline pumping through her veins like liquid fire.

"DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT." Fuujin chanted to herself, her hands fumbling around the cable as she slid it free from the stunned girl's arm when–_**SPYUUN**_– "FUCK." The last thing that left her mouth before her body became unresponsive. She couldn't believe this; so close and yet now so far. She remained still, holding the cable in her frozen hand for what seemed like an eternity before she saw the elevator car descend to receive someone on the first floor. _You must be kidding me. _She thought to herself, inwardly seething as the elevator began its ascent to the second floor again. _**[ **"Musica Mundana" Parasite Eve Soundtrack _Playing...now. _**]**_ The doors opened revealing Aya Brea with a tonfa gripped along one arm, standing over the bodies of three unconscious berserkers. The blonde rookie put away the weapon and reached down to pick her leather jacket off one of the unconscious girl before stepping out smoothly.

"Fuujin, I take it." Aya began, shrugging her jacket on when she had both arms in their respective sleeves. She wrapped her fingers around the cable in Fuujin's hand and relieved her of it, walking past her without sparing a glance. "You might think of me as the one who bested you, and for that I don't blame you."

* * *

**_To Be Continued_**

* * *

_I can't help but feel as though things have gotten even worse for me since I returned to the garden. Where did Edea come across all of these eccentric girls, and why do they all want what I want, hm? Can Hyne give me an answer to that simple question? I lead a force of Galbadian soldiers across the world, I've come face to face with my beloved Squall Leonhart on two separate occasions and lived, and yet I'm being given trouble by a bunch of green SeeD cadets. CADETS. I've already met the qualifications for graduation ten times over, and these girls are actually competing on MY level?_

_On another note, why is my entire room coated with dust? I could swear I cleaned it last night..._

_****__-__Stalker's Log, September 28th__-_

* * *

___The video feed shows Shiva sitting at a reporters table, but something about the usual scene appears horribly wrong: Siren sits to her left coated in a thick sheet of ice. Ifrit stands to her right in a block of ice, seemingly caught in mid laughter. Odin and Gilgamesh are leaning against the wall side by side, encased in ice. Quezacotl is on the floor in mid-flap, caught in a chunk of ice with Tonberry fallen on its side in a similar state, chef knife held firmly in its hand. Diablo is nowhere to be seen, and Cactuar is frozen in mid-escape near the broken window._

___"No one...got owned." Shiva mutters to herself, a fake smile plastered on her face. At that moment the door to the news room opens and three women step in; Rydia, Yuna and Garnet._

___"Shiva," Yuna begins, approaching the table where she sits, "I'm disappointed in you. You should have known better."_

___Shiva holds her hands up with a defeated sigh, "How long this time, officer?"_

___"For as long as it take for you to realize your mistakes." The Fayth summoner tell her in an authoritative tone. She looks to Garnet. "This is going to take some time to clean up."_

___"Well, that's what I'm here for." The Alexandrian Queen says with a pained grin. "You'll help me, won't you Rydia?"_

___"No choice." Rydia says with a shake of her head. "Can't leave these guys frozen. Even if they were being such jerks." The green summoner pauses, glancing at Shiva before looking back to Garnet. "But who will take over the post chapter section while Shiva's gone? I doubt Siren will be able to handle it on her own, especially with the cold she'll have in the coming days."_

___"We already have two willing stand ins." Yuna informs her. "Serah should be here with them in a moment._

___As if her words served as a cue, Serah Farron walks into the news room followed by the Shiva sisters. Nix and Stiria. "We're here __**– **Whoa!" The girl stops mid-sentence upon seeing the mess. "What happened here?"_

_____"Looks like someone lost their temper." Stiria says with a hint of contempt._

_____Nix cackles roughly. "I'm not surprised. She always was the hothead of the family."_

_____Shiva sees her XIII cousins and promptly freaks out. "You ARE NOT letting them take over my show!"_

_____"YOU don't have a say in the matter." Yuna puts her down sharply. "Shiva?" At her call Shiva X materializes at her side. "Bring her in."_

_____"Yes, mistress Yuna." The dread locked Shiva says with a nod before turning to her VIII cousin. "Come along now."_

_____"It isn't fair!" Shiva VIII cries out. _

_____Yuna silences her with a cold stare, one that causes even Rydia and Garnet to flinch as well as the other Shivas in the room. "Life isn't fair."_

* * *

_______________****____[ END TRANSMISSION]_


End file.
